Ypsilanti Township is bonding for a $660,000 preventative maintenance project for one neighborhoods' roads.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
Ypsilanti Township will concurrently make repairs on roads and replace water lines along a neighborhood off South Grove Road.
The township will bond for $660,000 to complete the project in the neighborhood, which sits on the north side of South Grove Road just to the west of Rawsonville Road.
Repairing the roads and replacing water mains at the same time lowers the cost of both projects. The Ypsilanti Community Utility Authority will replace the water lines and pay to repave the roads it damages, while the Washtenaw County Road Commission and Ypsilanti Township will pay to repave the remainder of the roads.
Officials aren’t yet sure of a construction timeline.
The roads were selected because the water mains in the area need upgrades and replacements and it provides the Road Commission with the chance to complete a comprehensive asphalt overlay.
The roads are in fair to good condition, but the township regularly undertakes preventative maintenance projects because it costs less in the long run than rebuilding crumbling roads.
Among the roads are Morris Street, Bomber Street, Lakeview Avenue, Moeller Street, Bradley Avenue, Emerson Road, Ida Avenue, McGregor Avenue, Outer Lane, Pasadena Street, Snow Avenue and Wooddale Avenue.
Last year, the township spent $6.8 million on maintenance projects and complete rebuilds of deteriorating roads.
The Road Commission has regularly praised the township for its maintenance of its roads and said they are among the best roads in Washtenaw County.
“The roads in Ypsilanti Township are in very good condition, and it’s because of the commitment by the township to sell bonds, to invest in their roads and work with the Road Commission to make those improvements a reality,” said Aaron Berkholz, superintendent of maintenance for the Road Commission.
In March, the township plans to announce more roads that will see maintenance work or a rebuild. Bonds will cover some of the costs, while federal grant money is available for some of the projects.
Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter.