Waters Road residents pursuing special assessment district to pay for paving
About 50 Lodi Township residents who live on Waters Road want their cut-through road to be paved, and have told both the Washtenaw County Road Commission and Lodi Township officials they are willing to tax themselves to get it done.
The heavily traveled dirt road between Wagner Road and the Pittsfield Township line sees about 1,500 cars travel on it daily, and residents say that repeated efforts to fix the rutted road have failed.
“We’ve had a lot of problems with that road,” said Road Commissioner Ken Schwartz during a discussion of the situation Tuesday afternoon. “It’s a nasty road with swamp on both sides. There have been accidents, wash boarding and ruts.”
Roy Townsend, managing director of the Road Commission, said neighbors contacted the Road Commission about having the road paved, and if they can get 51 percent of the people on the road to sign a petition, the special assessment district process can begin.
A couple of years ago, Townsend said, the Road Commission obtained a federal safety grant to improve drainage and add 6 inches of gravel for Waters Road, and the project is scheduled to begin this month with a late summer completion date.
During an April public information meeting about the Waters Road project, there was also a discussion of a possible special assessment district for paving the road and the estimated costs of about $300,000 for the project.
Tuesday afternoon, Road Commissioners agreed to pay for $200,000 of the project, if the property owners would contribute $100,000, which works out to about $2,000, which could be paid in a lump sum or about $200 a year, plus interest, for 10 years.
In addition, the Road Commission unanimously approved about $214,000 in road work throughout the township, which will cost the township about $179,000 when matching funds are applied.
Included in the road work is two applications of dust control at a cost of about $93,800, as well as the addition of about 6,000 tons of limestone on Saline Waterworks Road from the end of the pavement to Dell Road at an estimated cost of $105,000, and ditch work on Zeeb Road from Textile Road to the bridge at a cost of $15,500.
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.
Comments
Not a valid excuse for a newspaper
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 1:57 a.m.
Why don't people wait to see how the road turns out with the extra 6" of gravel and drainage put in? It's just wasting money if you have it paved right after the improvements happen.
Not a valid excuse for a newspaper
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 2:26 p.m.
Wager Road? I know it's Wagner, but not everyone else will.
russellr
Sat, Jun 9, 2012 : 3 p.m.
I have been to W. Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and I will have to say Waters rd is the worst out off all these states. This is a major road travelled. It's about time. Thank you for finally doing something about it.
eldegee
Sat, Jun 9, 2012 : 12:54 p.m.
If you pave it, they will come. Be careful what you wish for.
jns131
Sat, Jun 9, 2012 : 9:41 p.m.
I could not agree more. The only reason they cut thru is because of traffic and probably the way the flow of traffic is already. Instead of paving? Try lights and reroute. It is the snow removal they are over looking in cost. We have them come out once or twice depending to remove the snow. Yes, it does come out of our taxes as well. Good luck with the decision.