By David Fleet
Editor
Groveland Twp.-Earlier this year the township approved the application fresh gravel for about three miles of Bald Eagle Lake Road.
The approval is necessary prior to Oakland Countywide bulk order for gravel for township roads.
However, on June 10 the township board of trustees cancelled their order due to some rather unexpected hefty price hikes.
“Nobody that normally bids (to supply) road gravel in Oakland County is doing it this year,” said Bob DePalma, township supervisor. “(The vendors) are all tied up doing federal aid construction projects for all the extra money they are pouring into roads. Because of that, the only place to get the gravel mix for roads is from Lenawee County. That put the cost of graveling a mile of road from about $25,000 to $50,000.”
The township budgets for about three miles of fresh gravel each year.
“There will be no gravelling done by the township this year,” he said. “We’ll have to see what happens next year. We are hoping that once the gravel projects get caught up the normal (companies) who have bid on the gravel out here will be back to bidding on it at a more reasonable price and we could double up on it.”
Craig Bryson, senior manager of communications and public information for the Road Commission for Oakland County said the going rate for gravel increased from $14.50 per ton in 2018 to $23-26 per ton in 2019, an increase of about 37 percent.
“It’s a supply and demand issue,” said Bryson. “While there are a few gravel mines in Groveland Township there have been no new ones (mines) that have come on line. That means the county pays more for a basic part of road building. There’s also the cost of shipping it has grown too. There are few more dollars to spend on roads but, now there’s just not enough product.”