Road Commission Abandons Street Section in Mottville

Following a public hearing Wednesday morning, members of the St. Joseph County Road Commission (SJCRC) voted to abandon a section of Union Street in Mottville Township. The section runs south from Cecelia Street, and does not connect to any other roads from there. It provides access to two houses, the plant of Interstate Manufacturing, and the rear of the Mottville Township Cemetery. 

Ownership of the street section will transfer to Interstate Manufacturing. An easement will remain in effect for any utilities that follow the street, as well as for access to the houses and cemetery. At least one of the houses and the cemetery also have other access points. SJCRC Managing Director John Lindsey said because public traffic on the street is virtually nonexistent, there is “no value to us to keep it on the books.”

Interstate’s owner Chris Hamlin told Road Commission staff he gets a lot of “riff raff,” Lindsey said. The ownership transfer will permit the company to “put a gate across the road” with an access code for the cemetery and other easement holders. 

Mottville Township Code Compliance Officer Doug Kuhlman said there was “no objection whatsoever” from the township, which will assume responsibility for the street should Interstate leave or go out of business.

Smith Road Moves Closer to Gravel Reversion

There are two throughfares called “Smith Road” in the vicinity of Mendon. One runs north-south between Simpson and Jacksonburg Roads in Leonidas Township. The other runs east-west between Osgood and McClish Roads, parallel to the Kalamazoo County line in Mendon Township. The latter is the subject of a downgrade process whereby it is likely to be converted from asphalt paving back to gravel.

At a previous Road Commission meeting, Lindsey said the road’s traffic levels would typically not warrant paving with asphalt. Additionally, he said, a connecting section of 34^th Street was recently converted from asphalt to gravel by Kalamazoo County. Smith Road’s asphalt section is in deteriorated enough condition to warrant milling down and replacement, and given its low traffic levels, Lindsey said it “doesn’t make any sense to pave it with asphalt.”

At Lindsey’s request, commissioners voted to declare “failed road” status for the section, which makes it eligible for reconditioning. The decision “doesn’t mean we’ll mill it down tomorrow,” Lindsey said. Instead, it initiates a six-month period in which he can negotiate with Mendon Township to find a solution. During that period, Lindsey will install “rough road” signs on the section.

Lindsey said the township could, in theory, pay half the cost to replace the asphalt through the commission’s Allocation Fund, but because the section is not one where he would normally recommend asphalt, “we would not direct them to do that.” The township could also opt to pay the entire cost for new asphalt. Lindsey said he “couldn’t imagine” the township choosing either option.

However, Lindsey said, if either the county agrees the section should revert to gravel or if there is no solution after that six-month period, he will have staff mill the section down and top it with gravel instead. He estimated that work would cost between $5,000 and $7,000. Commissioner Rodney Chupp said he drove the section recently, and it is “definitely failed. I’d rather have a good gravel road there than (what is there now).”

Shimmel Road Surface Experiment Successful So Far

Amid a range of road surface treatment experiments conducted this year, SJCRC staff recently tested a fog seal treatment on a two-mile stretch of Shimmel Road. Most of the summer’s experiments have been with chip seal, a treatment which uses a tar coat to protect the road surface covered by a layer of fine stone for skid protection and to keep the tar from bleeding and splattering in hot weather. 

However, large, heavy farm equipment can wear chip seal differently or more aggressively than other vehicle traffic and shows up more frequently on certain roads in the county. Fog seal is a thin asphalt coating applied over a chip seal treatment to trap it and make it more durable. It is recognizable by its dark, black finish. At approximately $4,000 per mile, it is expensive, but Operations Director Michael Harris said it is making a real difference in durability on the experimental section of Shimmel Road.

Harris and Lindsey also said the public is responding well to the appearance of the surface with the fog treatment. Chupp, who recently traveled the road, said, “people support things they are happy with. It’s a pleasure to drive down Shimmel.” Lindsey said people have also responded well to the treatment on Lake Templene, and while it might not be economically feasible to use the treatment on all of the county’s road miles, it is “worth looking at the public response.”

Chupp also said, “one thing I consistently hear from people is they are recognizing heavy equipment is tearing up the roads. I’m happy they recognize that.” He said the county’s agriculture industry is a great asset, but “one of the challenges is maintaining the roads to support that. I’m glad people recognize that. It’s not a black eye on the (agriculture) industry, just a recognition of the challenges.”

Also in Road Commission business:

• While about $2,000,000 worth of paving work remains for the season, road striping has commenced for surface projects that have been completed.
• Despite pandemic impacts on revenue, the Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF) dollars directed to SJCRC will amount to roughly $627,000 this year, up from about $578,000 last year, an increase of about 8.45 percent, the first time in several years the amount has not declined. SJCRC Vice Chair Eric Shafer said there will also be about $500,000 in contributions by the end of the year from townships to the Allocation Fund, a half-and-half project cost-sharing pool between SJCRC and the townships.
• Commissioners approved a change to the bylaws of the Michigan County Road Commission Self-Insurance Pool (MCRCSIP), which provides insurance to agencies around the state like SJCRC as its name implies. When some counties began taking over road maintenance from road commissions in 2011 and 2012, they were no longer eligible for membership in MCRSIP. The resulting decline in membership was a hardship. The bylaws change permits those counties to rejoin as associate members.
• Lindsey said he has begun the evaluation process for potential abandonment of a section of Haybridge Road that connects with Sevison Road. The inquiry comes at the request of a property owner who owns all of the land surrounding the road section, which dead ends at a condemned bridge. Lindsey has been seeking input from Florence Township officials, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and utility companies regarding the possible impacts of abandonment.
• Regular SJCRC staff schedules have all resumed following pandemic schedule changes.
• A section of graffiti left earlier this summer on the surface of Pulver Road has been painted over.
• Lindsey and Fleets and Facilities Director Nate Taylor have held off on this year’s new vehicle purchases pending outcomes of pandemic budget impacts. They are prepared to make the purchases but are “watching the balance sheet” as projects for the year are completed, including bridge work on Klinger Lake Road with about $500,000 left to spend and other projects that are “still coming in.” A previously discussed purchase of mowing equipment is also still under consideration.

Dave Vago is a writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.