Several areas in the Clarkston area will see orange barrels this spring and summer as part of the Road Commission for Oakland County’s 2005 road construction season.
Clarkston Road between M-15 and Flemings Lake Road is slated for a 1.5-inch ‘preservation overlay,? as is Pine Knob Road from Clarkston Road to the end of the pavement.
No specific timetable has been announced for these two projects, which are included in a $1 million project involving seven different overlay projects throughout the county. Officials said the road improvement season will begin as soon as weather permits.
In addition, two intersections are targeted for ‘safety improvements.?
Clintonville Road at both junctures with Maybee Road (at the I-75 overpass) will be widened to accommodate a new traffic signal. Work is expected to begin in July at a projected cost of $750,000.
The Sashabaw-Clarkston road intersection will be widened, with a hill cut on the north leg, at a projected cost of $1 million. Work is tentatively scheduled to begin this fall, depending on developer coordination and right-of-way acquisition.
‘This list includes projects that we have long anticipated and that are sorely needed,? said Brett Bair, RCOC managing director.
Even with $40 million worth of road widenings planned throughout the county, Bair said the road commission is a long way from solving traffic congestion problems.
Eighty percent of the cost of most major construction projects will be paid for with federal road dollars (generated by the federal gasoline tax), with the remaining 20 percent split evenly between RCOC and the local community in which the project takes place.
The local road construction projects are in addition to a previously announced Michigan Department of Transportation project to widen and rebuild the M-15 bridge over I-75 this summer. MDOT has yet to announce a detailed schedule for that project, but a variety of county roads are expected to feel the impact of detoured traffic.
‘It is inevitable that motorists will experience delays in some cases,? Bair said. ‘Unfortunately, we must endure a little pain in order to gain the benefits of improved roads.?