Washtenaw County Road Commission officials are asking residents along Waters Road in Lodi Township to leave stakes in place in the right of way.

The stakes are the beginning of a roughly $390,000 road project on Waters Road from Wagner Road to the end of the pavement at the Pittsfield Township line.

In addition, residents are invited to an information meeting about the project on April 18, at 7 p.m. at Lodi Township Hall, 3755 Pleasant Lake Road. Funding options for the possible paving the road east of Wagner Road will also be presented.

The Road Commission has received federal funds to make moderate gravel road and drainage improvements to the road, officials said.

Although the project is not expected to begin until June, the preliminary staking work is being completed before the trees leaf out.

"We will primarily be setting or freshening right of way stakes along the project limits," officials said. "We understand that these stakes can be inconvenient for lawn care, but we respectfully request you do not remove them."

The project includes major drainage improvements to the unpaved road, which sees more than 1,000 cars travel on it per day. In 2011, officials have said, the road was graded more than 32 times.

Utility companies are performing work in advance of the actual road construction, which is not expected to begin until June and last through August.

If there is any change in the schedule, Project Manager Matt MacDonell will update residents.

For questions regarding the project, contact him at macdonellm@wcroads.org or call 734-327-6688.

Lisa Allmendinger is a regional reporter for AnnArbor.com, who also covers the Washtenaw County Road Commission. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com.