Road commission handling 40 repair projects this summer totaling up to $6 million

Road commission handling 40 repair projects this summer totaling up to $6 million

By Allison Scarbrough, Editor

HART — The Oceana County Road Commission has begun another busy summer season of repairing roads across the county. 

This year, 40 county road improvement projects will total $5.5-$6 million. 

The road commission will chip seal 80 miles of roads in the county this year, said OCRC Managing Director Mark Timmer. “These are the township projects, but the road commission also is chip sealing and fog sealing the primary roads. I would like to thank the townships for their participation in these projects through millages and other revenue sources for efforts they put into funding these projects. The township involvement makes it possible to have nicer roads in Oceana County.” 

“When I first started in 2016, only a handful of townships had road millages, and 13 have road millages now.” Revenue was $600,000 in 2017, and in 2022, revenue has grown to $5.9 million due to township participation, said Timmer.

Here is a list of 2023 road projects by township:

1. Pentwater Township: Lake Breeze Drive from Ridge Road to dead end; pave approximately ½ mile and cul-de-sac; $137,527 total project cost with $118,200 township share.
2. Weare Township: Jefferson Road from Oceana Drive to Hammett; partial wedge and chip seal/fog seal; 2 ½ miles; $169,565 total project cost with $158,472 township share.
3. Crystal Township: Madison Road from 120th Avenue to 126th Avenue; gravel upgrade; ¾ of a mile; $111,190 total project cost with $64,350 township share.
4. Colfax Township: Lakeview Drive from 186th Avenue to dead end; gravel upgrade; approximately ¼ mile; $37,271 total project cost with $8,043 township share.
5. Elbridge Township: Fox Road from 144th Avenue to the east end of pavement; chip seal/fog seal; approximately 1 mile; $36,582 total project cost with $34,189 township share.
6. Elbridge Township: Polk Road from 136th Avenue to 144th Avenue; chip seal/fog seal; approximately 1 mile; $41,273 total project cost with $38,573 township share.  
7. Hart Township: 68th Avenue and Duck Road from Taylor Road to 72nd Avenue; thin overlay continuous;  approximately 1 ½ miles; $190,428 total project cost with $158,400 township share. 
8. Hart Township: Filmore Road from Oceana Drive to East of 88th Avenue; crush, shape, pave and add paved shoulders; a little over 1 mile, $304,882 total project cost with $284,750 township share. This project was completed and was a joint project paid for by Hart Township and Snider Farms, with in-kind work by OCRC.
9. Hart Township: Lake Road last ¾ of a mile; crush and turn into gravel; $11,700 total project cost with $5,000 township share.
10. Golden Township: Mears streets; ½ mile of wedging; $33,293 total project cost with $33,293 township share.
11. Golden Township: 52nd Avenue curves to Scout Road; ¾ of mile overlay; $102,241.82 total project cost with $79,200 township share.
12. Golden Township: Fox Road and Beechwood intersection; repave intersection; $8,239 total project cost with $7,700 township share.
13. Benona Township: 32nd Avenue from Buchanan Road to Shelby Road; crush/shape/pave; about 1 ½ miles; $422,088 total project cost with $347,055 township share.  
14. Benona Township: 24th Avenue from Shelby Road to the south; gravel upgrade; ½ mile; $105,231 total project cost with $71,557 township share. This project is in progress.
15. Benona Township: Baker Road from east of 48th Avenue; sand lift and gravel upgrade; about ½ mile; $89,563 total project cost with $39,050 township share.  
16. Benona Township: Baker Road, west of 40th Avenue to 36 Avenue; gravel upgrade; a little over ½ mile; $58,805 total project cost with $21,249 township share.  
17. Benona Township: Grant Road from Scenic Drive to Driftwood Lane; chip seal/fog seal; ½ mile; $19,200 total project cost with $19,200 township share.
18. Benona Township: Marshville Dam Road from Hayes Road to Fish Road; chip seal/fog seal 2 ½ miles; $89,767 total project cost with $89,767 township share.  
19. Shelby Township: 72nd Avenue from Grant Road to Hayes Road; gravel upgrade about 1 mile; $93,599 total project cost with $78,614 township share. 
20. Shelby Township: East Hill Drive from 88th Avenue to the dead end; chip seal/fog seal; little over ¼ mile; $9,380 total project cost with $8,767 township share.
21. Shelby Township: Pine Grove from 88th Avenue to the dead end; chip seal/fog seal about a ¼ mile; $7,629 total project cost with $7,130 township share. 
22. Shelby Township: Grant Road from Oceana Drive to 88th Avenue; chip seal/fog seal 1 ½ miles; $62,567 total project cost with $58,474 township share.
23. Shelby Township: 88th Avenue from north of Grant Road to north of Baker Road; chip seal/fog seal; ½ mile; $18,249 total project cost with $17,056 township share.  
24. Shelby Township: 88th Avenue from M 20 north of  Grant Road; chip seal/fog seal; 1 mile; $40,853 total project cost with $38,181 township share.
25. Shelby Township: 88th Avenue from East Hill Drive to Pike Road; chip seal/fog seal; ⅓ of a mile; $11,256 total project cost with $10,520 township share.
26. Shelby Township: 96th Avenue from Shelby Road to Woodrow Road; chip seal/fog seal; 1 mile; $36,321 total project cost with $33,945 township share. 
27. Shelby Township: 100th Avenue north of Shelby Road; trim trees and gravel upgrade; approximately 600 feet; $23,984 total project cost with $10,725 township share.
28. Newfield Township: 176th Avenue from Loop Road to Zimmer Road; crush/shape/pave; 1 mile; $274,239 total project cost with $211,464 township share.
29. Newfield Township: Baker Road, east of 200th Avenue to 204th Avenue; wedge/overlay, about ½ mile; $122,807 total project cost with $103,015 township share.
30. Newfield Township: 186th Avenue from Yonker Road to the dead end; chip seal/fog seal; about 3/4 mile; $28,616 total project cost with $26,744 township share.
31. Newfield Township: Yonker Road from 186th Avenue to 192nd Avenue; chip seal/fog seal, ⅔ of a mile; $27,068 total project cost with $25,298 township share.
32. Grant Township: Clay Road from 88th Avenue to 96th Avenue; crush/shape/pave; 1 mile; $281,292 total project cost with $255,170 township share. This project is in progress.
33. Grant Township: Skeels Road from 88th Avenue to Henderson Road; crush/shape/pave; ⅓ of a mile; $134,691 total project cost with $98,340 township share. This project is in progress.
34. Grant Township: Arthur Road from Oceana Drive; new pavement; ¼ mile; $95,033 total project cost with $73,920 township share. This project is completed.
35. Grant Township: Oceana Drive from Cleveland Road to the Village of New Era; overlay; 1 ½ miles; project is in the bid process and is an OCRC project.
36. Claybanks Township: Webster Road from 56th Avenue to 64th Avenue; overlay; 1 mile; $85,084 total project cost and is an OCRC project.
37. Claybanks Township: 36th Avenue from Stony Lake south; 1 mile; $281,000 total project cost with $100,000 township share.
38. Leavitt Township: Harrison Road east of the village to the county line; wedging and chip sealing; 4 ½ miles;  $328,000 total project cost. OCRC project.
39. Golden Township: Ridge Road from Fox Road to Juniper Beach; wedging and chip seal and fog seal; about 1 mile; $100,000 total project cost.
40. Federal aid job: crush, shape and pave 126th Avenue between Monroe and Madison roads in Crystal Township; 1 mile; $520,000 total project cost. This project is in progress and is an OCRC job.

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