A bumpy stretch of Indian Lake Road will soon become a smooth ride thanks to the Levy Corporation, the Oakland County Road Commission and Oxford Township Supervisor Bill Dunn.
Dunn recently secured a donation from Levy Corp. of 3,000 tons of ?21-AA? crushed stone, which will be used to resurface Indian Lake Road between M-24 and Conklin Road. The road is inhabited by both Oxford and Orion residents.
‘I want to thank Scott Carson (vice president of Levy) and Levy for once again being so generous to township residents in need,? Dunn said. ‘They’ve donated tons and tons of gravel over the years and made a lot of people out here, especially drivers, pretty happy.?
‘It’s great news,? said Orion resident Jackie Doran, who’s been lobbying Oxford and Orion townships and the county road commission to do something to fix the bumpy road plagued by poor drainage. ‘I think it really shows officials want to work with us.?
Dunn said the 21-AA crushed stone is a ‘high quality? material.
Loren Yaros, the road commission’s maintenance superintendent for the northeast portion of the county, explained that 21-AA (which refers to the size of the stones) is ?100 percent natural crushed stone,? whereas gravel is a ‘blended product? consisting of ‘stone, sand and clay,? all ‘packed together.?
The problem with gravel is ‘when water hits it, it loses all its strength and turns to mush,? Yaros said. Because 21-AA is 100 percent natural crushed stone ‘water doesn’t affect it as much.?
Yaros said when the stone is crushed, the resulting dust serves as a ‘binder? between the stones, making them ‘interlock just like concrete,? so ‘it sheds water a lot better.? The result of using 21-AA is a stronger, smoother road surface that stays in tact much longer than gravel.
Yaros has agreed to have his crews haul, spread, compact, and chloride the donated crushed stone at no charge to the township or residents, Dunn said.
Prior to the resurfacing, Yaros said road commission workers will do some ‘minor ditching? along some of the road to alleviate the drainage problems it’s currently experiencing.
‘Ditching? involves opening up the ‘natural flow of drainage,? so water flows off the road into ‘wetlands and low areas,? Yaros said.
‘Right now, it’s (the natural drainage flow) being impeded in some areas and we’re going to open that up,? which will help the road’s new crushed stone surface ‘last a lot longer,? Yaros said.
‘It’s just opening up (drainage that) already exists,? he said. ‘People don’t have to worry that we’re going to change it and dump it all in their backyard.?
Yaros said the ditching is only a temporary fix until the road commission and Oxford and Orion township can work out a more permanent drainage solution, such as installing culverts, ‘next year or within a year.?
The current lack of drainage has resulted in standing water which in turn has caused the integrity of the gravel road to deteriorate, leaving holes and dips behind.
The result is drivers experience a bumpy ‘washboard? effect when travelling on them, Dunn said.
Doran said Indian Lake Road is currently in ‘unsafe condition? because of this.
‘You have to drive on opposite side of the road to avoid the potholes. That’s not safe,? she said.
The poor physical condition of the road has also led to ‘damage? and ‘wear and tear? on vehicles travelling it,? Doran noted.
Doran said the ‘ultimate solution? is to pave Indian Lake Road, but the cost is quite high (an estimate $1.5 to $2 million) and not all the residents along the road agree with that solution.
She noted traffic volume on the road is very high and cited data from the road commission which stated that an average of 1,022 vehicles per day travelled on the road in 2000.
However, Doran is still pleased with the gravel donation and drainage ditch work that will be done.
She said it shows that both Oxford and Orion townships and road commission ‘really listened to our concerns and are willing to help.?