Hadley Township-As the temperature rises, so do the number of orange barrels on Hadley Road.
Champagne and Marx of Saginaw recently started construction on Hadley Road, from Saw Mill Lake Road to Broecker Road to provide a better pathway to many of the state parks directly in Hadley Township.
In addition, the construction will also include improvements to Hadley Road overall, including resurfacing and cutting trees to widen the road 2-3 feet on each side to provide bigger shoulders.
‘There are a few sharp turns on Hadley Road, and we want to provide a clear zone for motorists and a leeway in case they do swerve off the road,? said Dave Vaughn, county highway engineer for the Lapeer County Road Commission.
The project is financed through the federal Surface Transportation Funds in the amount of $600,000, with the state making an 80/20 match of $200,000 through the DNR State Access Fund, while the federal government sustains the difference of $500,000. The fund is special to state parks and gaining better access into them.
Every year the federal government allots a certain amount of money to the state for construction projects such as this, but an application must first be approved by the federal government in order to show cause of needed improvements.
‘We want to make this road more forgiving to motorists because of the danger it poses with blind spots and sharp curves,? said Vaughn.
Another project will be starting soon on Pratt and Hadley Roads, all the way to Broecker. Pratt will be ground up, resurfaced and amended for overall improvements. Many culverts will also be replaced. Broecker Road to Stewart will not be widened.
Vaughn said the project was possible through an exchange of money from federal to state funds at $.75 on the dollar.
The state received half a million this year for improvement projects and exchanged the money in order to adequately use it more to the townships’s benefit, the village and the road itself.
‘When you use federal funds, they basically tell you who to hire, what can be done and how it will be done. When you exchange the money, they cut you a check for approximately 25 percent less than you would have received but you’re then able to contract someone by choice,? said Vaughn.
Vaughn said the exchange is an even break when said and done and is accompanied by less stipulations and difficulties.