August 7, 2008 -- Work on M-115 in Clare County, which began in May, is progressing. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is investing approximately $4.5 million to repair M-115 from Lake Station Avenue northwest to the Osceola/Clare county line. The project includes resurfacing, intersection and drainage improvements, guardrail upgrades, and bridge replacements. M-115 is expected to fully reopen to traffic by late October.
The first phase of this project is now complete. The second phase will begin Monday, Aug. 11, and is scheduled to be completed by Labor Day. This work includes pavement milling and overlay from Lake Station Avenue, northwest to the Osceola county line. Crews will start on the southbound lanes. After the holiday, crews will begin shoulder work, rumble strip placement and paving on the northbound lanes.
This project, a Highways for Life (HfL) initiative funded through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is a discretionary program of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). A $244.1 billion, five-year federal transportation funding bill passed by Congress and signed by the President in 2005, SAFETEA-LU authorizes funding for fiscal years 2005 through 2009.
"The Highways for Life program makes grants available to demonstrate and promote innovations in highway construction," said MDOT Bay Region Engineer Tony Kratofil. "The program rewards innovation that improves the quality and durability of the roadway. The M-115 project is the first HfL initiative in the state of Michigan."
"Central Asphalt of Mt. Pleasant has been awarded the contract for this project," said Terry Palmer, MDOT's Mt. Pleasant Transportation Service Center manager. "Their proposal represented the best value to MDOT, based on price, goals and innovation."
For the duration of this project, one lane in each direction will be maintained on M-115 at all times. To accommodate work in the southbound lanes, southbound traffic will utilize part of the northbound lane; and northbound traffic will utilize part of the northbound shoulder area, which will be temporarily widened. A nine-foot-wide load restriction also will be in effect. This work is weather-dependent.
Portable message signs are in place to alert motorists to the roadwork and lane closures. For up-to-date information on this project, go to the list of statewide lane closures on MDOT's Web site at www.michigan.gov/mdot.
The rehabilitation of M-115 will serve motorists by extending the life of the roadway. This project will promote safety, improve drainage and guardrails, and will improve traffic flow and enhance the ride quality along this section of roadway for many years to come.
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