M-15 will look and feel a lot better by this time in 2014, officials promise.
An 8.6 mile Capital Preventative Maintenance project, which will take place from Dixie Highway to Wolf Road in Ortonville, will include milling and resurfacing work.
The project will cost an estimated $4.1 million will be completed in one construction season.
Limited in scope, the project will include 1 ? inches of re milling of the road, resurfacing and upgrading sidewalk ramps. Drainage or widening issues is outside of the scope and will not be addressed. ‘That’s something we really won’t be able to do,? said MDOT Representative Luke Arnold.
Just the top 1 ? inches of the road will be removed and replaced. ‘It’s only a surface treatment,? said Arnold, who presented the Clarkston City Council with a quick overview of the project.
‘Basically all we are going to do is extend the service life of the pavement, so that we can avoid the costly full reconstruction project,? said Arnold. ‘The scope of the project is very limited.?
Construction will take place from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. on weekends, and 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. on weekday nights so less of an impact will be felt during times when traffic could be heavy.
As for the noise inconvenience on weekends and nights to homeowners on M-15, an MDOT representative said it will not last long because re-milling can be done quickly.
The project will also include upgrading sidewalk ramps to make them compliant under Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
‘The minimum sidewalk width is usually five feet,? said Arnold. ‘It provides a level of space so people of all level of capabilities can navigate the sidewalks.?
Arnold said brick pavers in a sidewalk ramp area near Depot Road need to be replaced. The brick pavers will be removed and the ramp will be reconstructed to be compliant with ADA standards.
Arnold added any bricks removed from the downtown area will be salvaged.
‘We will replace any areas where there is existing brick pavers,? he said. ‘The city will be able to reclaim those to use on future projects.?
Any brick pavers removed will be replaced with stamped concrete, he added.
‘So it will mimic the look and feel of the existing bricks, but it’s more acceptable to ADA standards,? he said.
Several parking lanes on M-15 will be resurfaced at no cost to the city and no landscaping will be affected. Flaggers will be required to maintain traffic.
‘Basically there will only be one lane of traffic open, which will be difficult for the citizens, but really it’s the only option we have,? he told the council.
Access to local businesses will be maintained. All of the construction will be coordinated with the city, so if any local events are going on, or there is a large community activity, the city can request workers not be present certain days.
Work will also be suspended on any state recognized holidays.
City manager Carol Eberhardt raised concerns about the buildings located in the historic district.
‘There’s a lot of old buildings that may or may not have foundation issues,? Arnold explained.
Because there could be issues with old buildings, audio and visual filming and monitoring the vibrations will be part of the project.
‘Any of these older buildings located in the historic district will be filmed on the inside and outside so that if any damage does occur we’ll know if it was due to the construction activity,? Arnold said.
All homes located in the historic district will be documented and recorded. The contractor will also be required to monitor vibrations during the project. If construction crews exceed a certain threshold when it comes to vibration levels that could cause any damage-construction will stop.
If those vibration thresholds are exceeded then crews will have to find an alternative to complete the job, Arnold said.
Eberhardt said she also asked about getting a bid to see how much it would cost to repave Princess, a street off M-15.
Bids for the project are expected to begin in March. Arnold said the project will start in May or June and last until mid-November.