Heavy equipment, gravel trucks will be on Waters Road as improvement project nears end
New gravel is coming this week to a mile stretch of Waters Road between Wagner Road and Gallinger Drive in Lodi Township that has been closed since June 22 for improvements.
Crews using heavy construction equipment and gravel trucks began working on the roadway to add gravel and 6 inches of limestone.
But Thursday's rain means crews will not be out working the road until conditions improve, said, Matt MacDonell, senior project manager for the Washtenaw County Road Commission. Rain Friday could also delay gravel work until next week.
The work comes at the tail end of the project to make the gravel road safer as heavy traffic and washboard conditions on Waters Road had caused several accidents, MacDonell said.
While the heavy equipment should be out of the area by the end of the week of Aug. 13, the road will not be re-opened until the end of August when the project is slated for completion, MacDonell said.
Township residents who live on Waters Road have previously told both the Washtenaw County Road Commission and township officials they are willing to tax themselves in a special assessment district to get the project completed.
The posted detour remains in effect while the gravel is being spread and compacted.
Previous portions of the project included clearing trees from the rights-of-way alongside the road and re-establishing ditches.
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
Comments
jns131
Fri, Aug 10, 2012 : 5:25 p.m.
I thought they were going to pave that road? From the sounds of it? They are going to need speed bumps if they do. Nice quiet road to a nice busy intersection. Sad.
justcurious
Thu, Aug 9, 2012 : 10:45 p.m.
"The work comes at the tail end of the project to make the gravel road safer as heavy traffic and washboard conditions on Waters Road had caused several accidents, MacDonell said." It's a no brainer. People on the west side of Ann Arbor use this road to get to and from the shopping centers at Ann Arbor Saline road. With the increase of population and places to shop, this road should have been paved long ago.
Ann English
Sat, Aug 11, 2012 : 12:11 a.m.
I remember seeing traffic jammed on Scio Church Road between Oak Valley and Wagner Road during one afternoon rush hour. Going from Target to Wagner requires just one turn if Waters Road is used, but three turns if Scio Church Road is used.
Macabre Sunset
Thu, Aug 9, 2012 : 7:43 p.m.
That's probably true. They should examine why Waters got into that state so quickly. Maybe it has too much traffic to remain a dirt road. It's the best road for cutting back to the east if you're trying to avoid all the mis-timed lights moving north/south on the west side of town.
ChrisW
Thu, Aug 9, 2012 : 7:25 p.m.
Seems like they could've paved the road in that amount of time.