Breton Road construction is now open. The project, which began in mid-June, included removing and replacing the street surface, ADA ramp upgrades, traffic signal upgrades and several areas of road base replacement and spot curb replacement.
While we see the shiny new road after the project is completed, there are many elements that went into the Breton Road project.
Mill and fill: The road had to be completely milled out in order to pave the new base and top course layers. Because this is a federally funded project, strict guidelines needed to be adhered to. A major one is that only one side of the road and sidewalk could be closed at a time to provide a pedestrian detour. So crews started work on the western side of the road, from Lake to the southern city limits, and then went to the eastern side of the road.
Manhole and other structures: There are 100 structures along Breton Road, including manholes, catch basins and valve boxes, which needed to be prepped for milling and then adjusted in advance of paving.
Storm sewer cleanup: Given the high volume traffic on Breton Road, it is very difficult to shut down portions of the road to access sanitary and storm sewers for maintenance. City crews took the opportunity to clean out all of the sanitary and storm sewers along Breton Road during the construction closure.
Fire hydrant replacement: As the street was shut down, crews also replaced older the fire hydrants on the length of Breton Road.
DTE gas vault move: Just beyond east side of the intersection of Hall and Breton was a gas vault access point. Every time this vault needed to accessed, there would be a road closure. During this project, the City coordinated with DTE to move the vault over to the adjoining cul-de-sac right of way to minimize traffic impacts in the future related to DTE maintenance.
Signal and ramp upgrades: All ramps and signals will be upgraded to be compliant with the Michigan Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MMUTCD), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other required codes. Signals will now have pedestrian timing giving pedestrians a time count to cross the street and ramps are ADA compliant.
“During this and all of our construction projects, our goal is to be as intentional as possible in our work,” said Doug LaFave, assistant city manager. “Our team plans these projects so we can complete the most work possible in the shortest amount of time – hopefully, limiting disruption down the road.
“We know construction season can be a challenging time so we appreciate everyone’s patience as we completed this project.”
For more information on construction this season, click here.