Advertisement

District MDOT engineer Gary Niemi briefed members of the Kalkaska County Road Commission on the project, which will involve a total reconstruction of the road between the northern village Kalkaska village limits and Elder Road in Antrim County.

The designated detour route, CR 612 and CR 571, will see some improvements before, during and after the work, Niemi said. Some of those improvements include a dual flasher at the intersection of CR 671 and 512, improved signs and striping along the road.

As part of the incentive, MDOT offered the KCRC $570,000 for the road commission to d necessary work after their departure along the road, or to pay for the work by a private contractor.

Niemi said, when the state completes the project, they will add an inch of overlay material on the detour route to return it to its original condition. "The contract you presented us for this is pretty thorough," board chairman George Nice said. ÒThe road commission needs to have a contract like this."

Niemi said, when the road commission completes the work, all they need to do is present the bill to MDOT and they will pay it. Niemi also said MDOT will videotape the detour route prior to the additional traffic and also after the traffic load. He invited KCRC staff to accompany them on the excursion, or videotape the information personally.

ÒWe will also have signs for people coming up from downstate,Ó MDOT Traverse City regional manager Rise Rasch said. ÒWe will be using the state highways as much as possible and those will also be available for the detour traffic.Ó

Niemi said the road commission might be able to get better prices for the repairs then MDOT would. KCRC managing director John Rogers also informed the board that, if the completed the work, they would be able to bill the state at their state-allowed rates.

ÒWith the $570,000 it is not spelled out what you can do and this way you can get more bang for the buck,Ó Niemi said.

Blue Lake Township resident Dino Palladino said the road might need a lot of shoulder work. He also expressed concerns about the detour route and its impact on fire fighting and emergency equipment. Niemi also said state officials are looking at increasing the timing for the turn signal at the intersection of CR 612 and US-131 in Kalkaska.

ÒWe have addressed that situation and will make the changes when the construction starts to go,Ó he said. Niemi said they have a signal crew ready to install the necessary apparatus for the detour as soon as the commission signed the contract. ÒWe need the agreement signed, but we canÕt get started until the agreement is signed. We expect to start on this project sometime during the first week in April,Ó he said.

Initial work will involve shoulder items and other preparatory work until after the National Trout Festival, after which the construction will start in earnest.

ÒIt sounds like a good deal, but I am concerned about the averages and the overruns,Ó Nice said. Commissioners are feuding with a contractor over overruns on the recently-completed Plum Valley Road project, which ran several days over last year.

ÒThis is a good contract and I would like the road commission to come up with a better contract,Ó Nice reiterated. ÒThis is very thorough and it tells you what you can expect. I want no overruns, because if we do we are not going to have the money.Ó

ÒThere are resources available for you through MDOT, such as engineering inspection costs,Ó Rasch said. ÒI do not think you are going to have a large overage, but we will be able to work with you.Ó Officials said another public open house on the detour is planned for March 27 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Kaliseum Recreation Complex. No formal presentation is planned during the two hour format, but officials from MDOT will be present to address specific questions about the detour.

Fliers and informational literature will be available at the KCRC Island Lake Road offices for the public to review. Contacts will also be made with local law enforcement and the schools.