Laketown Township is looking down the road to make sure streets throughout the township are properly maintained.
Township Manager Al Meshkin presented the board of trustees on Wednesday, June 8, with a seven-year road work plan that includes paving two of three remaining gravel roads in the township by 2029.
“It’s not set in stone,” Meshkin said about the plan. “We should look at this for the future.”
To see the plan, click here.
To come up with the road map, Meshkin looked at the year the road was last resurfaced, visually inspected the roads and used the Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) system.
This year’s work
The township has already approved plans for this year.
In March, the board accepted the $594,155 road surfacing bid from Michigan Paving & Materials Co. to repave 62nd Street from 136th Avenue north to end at the expressway; 63rd Street from Blue Star Highway to 138th Avenue; and Valleywood Court, Scenic Shores Drive and Sailview Drive south of 147th Avenue.
Down the road
The township doesn’t own roads – the county does – but the township does pay for maintenance and repaving work.
The planning for 2024 and beyond should help the county as well.
“I want to give the road commission a heads-up for what we’re looking at,” Meshkin said.
In 2024, the plan has 5.25 miles of road to be repaved. In 2025, the plan lists 3.5 miles of resurfacing.
Gravel roads
Work in 2026 includes paving one of the three remaining gravel roads in the township.
“That’s a big deal,” Meshkin said of paving the half mile of 61st Street north of 138th Avenue. “If you’re going to pave it, you’re going to reconstruct it right.”
The project could cost $300,000 to $350,000.
Other 2026 projects include 1.5 miles of resurfacing.
Another half-mile of gravel road is in the plan to be paved in 2029.
“It’s a big project. It will take design work,” Meshkin said about reconstructing and paving 65th Street south of Island Lake Road. One challenge with that road north of Goshorn Lake is that it is not centered in the road right of way, so some land might need to be purchased to correct the design.
If these two gravel roads do get paved, that would leave the only unpaved stretch as 62nd Street south of 142nd Avenue to the dead end at the expressway.
Other 2029 projects include 1.75 miles of resurfacing.
In 2027, 3 miles of roads could be resurfaced. In 2028, 4 miles could be resurfaced and in 2030, 3.5 miles are listed for resurfacing.