Independence Township will have to find another way to fund the Sashabaw widening project since the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) only granted about $160,000 of their tri-party funds to the project.
The township sought $1.551 million of the $2.9 million in tri-party funds the RCOC offered. The estimated cost for the road-widening plan is $2.673 million.
Superintendent Bart Clark notes the $160,000 the RCOC is making available to Independence falls ‘considerably short,? so ‘we’ll have to come up with a plan? to find money for the project.
According to Craig Bryson of the RCOC, ‘everyone that wanted some [tri-party funds] got some,? but ‘nobody got as much as they wanted.?
Cities and townships across Oakland County made over twenty requests for the tri-party funds, and distribution of the money was based on the number of traffic accidents, the miles of county road, and population in the area, Bryson explained.
While the RCOC’s tri-party program will continue, Bryson doesn’t ‘anticipate any opportunities for additional funding like this one? anytime soon.
Extra funding in the future is unlikely because the RCOC plans to encourage municipalities to spend the tri-party money they receive. The $2.9 million made available was made up of ‘tri-party money that communities had been accumulating and were unable to use,? said Bryson.
Independence Township has already amassed $1.122 million in tri-party money, and while $160,000 may be a welcome addition, it won’t be enough to widen Sashabaw.