Road commission outlines 2020 projects.

April 16, 2020

– Oceana County Road Commisison photo

Road commission outlines 2020 projects.

By Allison Scarbrough, Editor.

HART — The Oceana County Road Commission has a long list of road projects scheduled for the 2020 season totaling over $4.8 million.

However, projects could be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, said OCRC Managing Director Mark Timmer. Road commissions across the state are anticipating a reduction in revenue due to the health crisis. Revenue comes from the Michigan Transportation Fund, the bulk of which is generated from gas tax and vehicle registration fees, Timmer said. With fewer drivers on the roads due to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Stay Home Stay Safe order, less money is expected to be generated.

Townships also provide funding for their own roads through road millages, general tax revenue and via special assessment districts.

Timmer said the road commission has been taking proper COVID-19 precautions by ensuring employees are social distancing. Some office staff are working remotely, and the office building is closed to the public. The procedures have been in place since March 16.

Workers are assigned the same piece of equipment every day, Timmer said, and they drive separate vehicles to job sites.

Road commission meetings are done via teleconference, and all action is taken with a roll call vote. Permits are done via email (sgriffin@oceanacrc.org) or by phone.

“We’re trying to keep our employees safe and still serve the public,” Timmer said.

– Oceana County Road Commission photo

The following is a list of township projects with project costs:

Weare Township

88th Avenue one mile from VanBuren Road to Jackson Road: crush/shape/pave. $160,000.

Golden Township

Juniper Beach Road from 100 feet cul-de-sac to 1,600 feet east:
crush/shape/pave. *Proposed project. $72,000

Lake Road – 100 feet east of 44th Avenue to 48th Avenue to Harrison Road to Railroad Road — 6,800 feet overlay. Asphalt includes intersection at 52nd Avenue and Railroad Road. $194,000

Silver Lake Drive: gravel upgrade 4,900 feet. $39,000

Benona Township

Second Street from Garfield Road to Thomas Street: 845 feet, ditch/gravel/tree cutting/culverts/paving. $31,000

Thomas Street from Second Street to Scenic Drive: 640 feet, ditch/gravel/tree cutting/culverts/paving. $34,000

Scenic Drive from Stony Lake Bridge to Shelby Road, nearly four miles, crush/shape/pave/gravel. $850,000

Grant Road from 28th Avenue to seasonal road, just under a mile, ditch/gravel/tree cutting/culverts. $40,500

Hart and Shelby townships

Baseline Road, one mile from 88th Avenue to 96th Avenue, crush and shape. The cost is funded via four-way split between Peterson Farms, Hart Township, Shelby Township and the road commission. $250,000

Shelby Township

88th Avenue, one mile from M 20 to Grant Road: crush and shape/pave. $220,000

East Grant Road from Oceana Drive to the east, 4,300 feet, crush/shape/pave/gravel shoulders. *Proposed project. $140,000

96th Avenue, one mile from Woodrow Road to Shelby Road, crush/shape/pave. *Proposed project. $158,000

Grant Township

Oneida Trail and Cherokee Bend, install culverts and catch basin, 600 feet,
crush and shape and pave intersection. $35,000

72nd Avenue from Webster Road to Winston Road, over one mile, overlay. *Proposed project. $140,000

Tonawanda Drive, about a half mile, Oceana Drive to Segola Trail, crush/shape/pave — includes valley gutter. *Proposed project. $98,000

Oceana Drive from Skeels Road to Roosevelt Road, overlay one mile. $320,000 (OCRC project)

Claybanks Township

36th Avenue from Cleveland Road to Clay Road, approximately a mile and a half,
crush/shape/pave/gravel shoulders. $275,000

Scenic Drive from a point north of Webster Road to north of Winston Road, one mile: crush/shape/pave. Funded through federal, state and road commission. $250,000 (OCRC project)

Pentwater Township

Gravel upgrades on Lansing Road $7,600 and Lake Breeze $72,000

Greenwood Township

Gravel upgrades on Wilke Road $30,000 and 184th Avenue $30,000

OCRC will do a county-wide sign safety project which includes curve signs, speed advisories, chevrons and target arrows. The project is funded by a Michigan Department of Transportation safety grant and OCRC. $200,000

OCRC is planning 39 miles of chip seal/fog seal, which includes 30 miles of primary roads and nine miles of local roads that townships are requesting. $1.2 million

OCRC plans to chip seal primary and/or local roads in the following townships: Pentwater, Weare, Leavitt, Elbridge, Hart, Benona, Shelby, Newfield, Otto, Grant and Claybanks.

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