Design work underway; bids to go out in June
ALLENTON — About 50 interested residents attended an open house at the Berlin Twp. Senior Center last Wednesday, Feb. 20, to view blueprints and acquire information pertaining to the upcoming Capac Road reconstruction project.
On hand to answer questions from the attendees, most of whom reside on Capac Rd., were St. Clair County Road Commission Engineers William Hazleton and Jennifer Nelson.
Also present was William Blumerich, a Berlin Township resident who serves as vice chairman of the St. Clair County Road Commission.
Hazleton and Nelson met one-on-one with interested residents to discuss the various aspects of the $2.8 million project and its potential impact on them and motorists who regularly traverse the roadway.
Hazleton outlined the plans to rebuild the 3.82-mile section of Capac Rd., from Hough Rd. north to slightly beyond Terry Rd.
He said design work is well underway, but that the project will not be put out for bids until June.
Based on the selected contractor’s availability, construction is expected to begin in August and be completed in autumn 2019.
Hazleton said the selected contractor will be contractually obligated to finish the project within a specific time frame.
“The contractor will be given a window to complete the work,” he said, “including limits of how long they can be onsite completing the work.”
The Capac Road construction project will involve crushing the existing pavement, regrading it and injecting with liquid asphalt to stabilize the material. The final step will be the application of multiple layers of new asphalt to the surface.
In conjunction with the construction process, the road’s shoulder areas will be widened and partially paved.
To accommodate that part of the project, the ditches in many areas will need to be moved slightly to achieve the required ditch slopes.
Additionally, multiple cross road culverts will need to be replaced during the process.
Nelson explained that the construction process will begin from the south and move north, with the first phase being the stretch of road through the Village of Allenton, from Hough Rd. north to Almont Rd.
That section of the roadway is significant in that it provides access to and egress from the Berlin Township Fire Dept., Berlin Township Hall, the Allenton Post Office and the Township’s senior center and adjacent park.
Nelson pointed out that there will be times during the project when thru-traffic will not be permitted and regular traffic flow will be diverted to alternate north/south routes.
She added, however, that residents living in the affected areas will still be able to access their driveways.
For further information about the Capac Road project, contact William Hazleton at 810-388-4026 or email him at: whazleton@stclaircounty.org
Tom Wearing started at the Tri-City Times in 1989, covering the Village of Capac as a beat reporter. He later served stints as assistant editor and editor. Today, he covers Imlay City and Almont as a staff writer. He enjoys music and plays drums and sings with various musical groups in the Detroit Metropolitan area.
