Branch County Road Commission plans $1.5 million summer primary road work
BRANCH COUNTY — The Branch County Road Commission summer road construction resumes on May 8 with the milling of Central Road between S. Angola Road and Block Road, according to commission manager Jay Miller.
That 2.75 miles is the longest stretch of primary road repaving in the 8.07 miles planned for the summer.
This year's road paving costs are between $130,000 to $140,000 a mile.
The road commission will chip seal coat another 26.63 miles of primary roads.
Summer repaving
Besides Central Road on the 2024 summer paving list are:
North Marshall Road from state to Jonesville Roads, 1.75 miles
Cornell Road from Fremont to Fisher Road, 0.6 miles
Fisher Road from Cornell Road to the bridge near Orchard Road, 0.43 miles
Gird Road from Babcock to Dunk Road, 1.87 miles
Creamery Road from Union City to Railroad Road, 0.67 miles
The cost for the 16 chip seal coating roads, filling cracks, spraying on a liquid asphalt mixture, and covering with small rocks rolled over the old pavement is $20,000 a mile.
"That includes everything from prepping, paver patching, to chip sealing, then ultimately, pavement markings," Miller explained.
The manager explained that chip sealing extends the life of roads before the need to mill and repave.
Chip seal coating projects:
Barnhart Road from River to Snow Prairie Road, 3.94 miles
S. Batavia Road from Lindley to Central Road, 3.48 miles
Burlington Road from Union City to Girard Road, 0.51 miles
County Line Road from Calhoun to Hunter Road, 1 mile
Curtis Road from Burbank to Girard Road, 2.02 miles
Division Road from Sherwood Village to Babcock Road, 2.74 miles
Fremont Road from the state line to Copeland Road, 2.5 miles
Lindley Road from Matteson Lake to N. Parham Road, 1.01 miles
S. Ray-Quincy Road from Southern Road to the state line, 1 mile
River Road from Union City to Girard Roads, 1 mile
Round Lake Road from Dutch School Road to the county line, 1.58 miles
Shawtown Road from the county line to Taggert Road, 0.95 miles
N. Snow Prairie Road from M-86 to Barnhart Road, 3.01 miles
State Line Road from S. Ray-Quincy to Delmar Road, 0.67 miles
Southern Road from Dutch School to Geroge Road, 1.22 miles
Warren Road from Fremont to Lake Road, 2.18 miles
Repaving is for roads with too much deterioration or those with heavier traffic
A private contractor has already milled off Fisher Road.
That private company will mill off the top asphalt on the others to be repaved.
Road commission board member Steve Weigt asked Miller at last week's commission meeting if the county should consider buying its milling machine.
Miller explained that the multimillion-dollar machine is not cost-effective given the small number of miles the county repaves each year.
The county saves money by operating its own asphalt plant. Miller said, "It's far cheaper than you would get as a contract."
Branch, Cass, and Lenawee counties are the only road commissions in Michigan that own and operate their plants.
Miller said that Branch County must complete repairs to the asphalt plant before the top asphalt is applied to any local roads.
The bag house dust filtration system caught fire last September, closing the plant. Repairs took place over the winter and will be completed this week.
Miller said the county will spend $1.5 million this summer on primary roads. Funds come from Act 51 tax distribution from the state.
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Act 51 money goes to cities, villages, and counties from user fees and taxes through motor-fuel taxes, vehicle registration fees, license plate fees, and certain levies on heavier vehicles such as trucks.
This summer, the Michigan Department of Transportation will repave 8.25 miles of Maple, Wildwood, and Stringtown roads under a private contract.
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Road Commission starts $1.5 million 35 miles of summer primary paving
