A Summer of Change

During a day off from work yesterday, I traveled out to my parents home in the hometown I grew up. It's a community where things often remain the same for years. The only thing that changes tends to be the people that come and go. Well lately, this summer in particular, there's a lot going on within the hometown. And during yesterday's visit home, I really gained a sense in that.

Road construction has been aplenty within the village. The Michigan Department of Transportation began a project earlier in the summer to replace curbing and gutters, along with replacing the pavement within the village. During the previous few summers, the village has been replacing a lot of sidewalk within the downtown area, and that continues along with the DOT's project. It's really helping to give new life to a community that hasn't had this kind of work done in quite awhile (even though the highway running through town was last resurfaced in 2003). When the homecoming and county fair takes place in early August, the community will look as good as new. It really has been nice to see, even though road construction can always be a bit of a headache to deal with.

Another dramatic change to the west side of town is the demolition of an old sawmill building. The sawmill industry had been a big part of the village's history, dating back to the founding of the community. However, a sawmill has not been in operation within the village since the mid-1990's. This particular sawmill went out of business in the late 1980's and early '90's, and all of the buildings were left behind and never kept up. Two out of the three buildings had begun caving in and thus had become a liability if someone happened to sneak in there and more of the building caved in on them. Plus, they were an eyesore to look at when driving by and made the village look shabby. So finally, after 20+ years of not being in use, one of the buildings is coming down and there's hope that the entire property will be cleaned up. Work is about finished on the demolition of the first building, so we shall see progress continues on the remaining others.

I know these two particular changes do not seem all that dramatic when compared to more populated areas, but to a community that only has a population of roughly 200 people, it's a pretty big deal. It signifies a new look to the village, making things look cleaned up and fresh. Nobody wants to see streets with a ton of potholes and buildings partially collapsed. What kind of statement does that say about a village when visitors pass through? 2011 has been a great summer of change to the village and one that has been a long time coming.

Alger County H-58

In last week's Upper Peninsula blog topic, I discussed at length the city of Munising and everything that it has to offer for residents and visitors to the area. I made brief mention of Pictured Rocks and the main roadway that runs along it, H-58. It's a county highway maintained by the Alger County Road Commission and it had been a source of frustration and some controversy for many years. The road commission has been working towards getting the length of roadway paved for quite some time, as early as the 1960's. But with the lack of appropriate funding, it never came to be. In all, H-58 between Munising and Grand Marais is some 39 miles. However, after all these years, H-58 is officially paved between those two Alger County communities.

As for myself, I have never ventured on H-58 beyond Melstrand. I had heard stories regarding how rough the road was in certain areas along the unpaved stretches. It was like a washboard, with speed limits of 25 mph, if that. Believe me, the Alger County Road Commission did their best at maintaining what they could of the county highway. But a lot of times after a heavy rain, the road would be nearly unridable again. And I think that's a reason why many people decided not to venture upon H-58 beyond where the pavement ended. I mean sure, there were still lots that did. But then there were others who wouldn't. Now, there is no reason not to travel the whole length of H-58 through the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

A dedication is set for this Friday, October 15 at the new Hurricane River Bridge located just west of Grand Marais. A reception will be held starting at 10 AM at the Alger County Road Commission facility just west of Munising on M-28. Then, the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new bridge will start at noon and will feature several dignitaries such as state and national representatives, congressmen, and staff members. It will mark the official closing of the project that had been in the works for so long. It will be the first time that a hard-surfaced, paved roadway has existed between Munising and Grand Marais through Pictured Rocks.

So if you're looking for another alternative in getting to Grand Marais from Munising or vice versa, H-58 is now that option. As I mentioned earlier, the road had always existed between those two communities, but it often provided for a rough ride. Now visitors and residents alike will be able to traverse the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore will relative ease and possibly explore areas they had never visited before. It opens up a bunch of new possibilities for a lot of people and for myself, it'll be great to explore a new area I've never been. Don't know if I'll be able to get there before winter comes, but sometime soon. It's just one more reason why Munising and the Pictured Rocks area is a great area to visit.

Road Construction

Spring is here and with it comes road construction. Here in the Marquette area, there is going to be plenty of road work this spring and summer. Call me crazy, but I get rather excited to hear about roads in the local area being worked on. It's a mentality that has been with me ever since I was little - but I will admit that waiting through a construction zone can get pretty aggravating, especially when you don't plan enough time to be waiting at a construction zone and end up being late for your destination. Obviously road construction is a headache while it's going on, but the finished product makes all that worth while.

As I mentioned, there is lots of road construction activity taking place this year within the Marquette area. The majority of the projects are being funded with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These are projects that have been on the back burner and were "shovel ready," meaning projects ready to begin at a moments notice except they lacked the needed funding to start. The ARRA helped many of these projects get off the ground. I am a big supporter of the infrastructure-portion of the ARRA because much of the nation's roads and bridges need work. The last time such a project took place was during the last major economic crisis around the time of the depression. But I don't believe enough money was allocated towards infrastructure improvements in our country with the ARRA and was wasted on other areas. That's just my opinion; take it with a grain of salt if you disagree.

One of the first road projects to get started this season is along US-41 and M-28 in South Marquette and in the nearby community of Harvey. The road crew there is replacing concrete joints and fixing potholes by pouring new cement in these areas. This is a five-lane stretch of road that was originally built in the 1960's. The cement used to build this highway is 40-50 years old. Obviously it's nearing the end of its life, but the state department of transportation is hoping to "extend the life" of this stretch of pavement by fixing joints and potholes. A similar repair was last done in this area only three years ago, yet here we go again. And I remember the incredible traffic back-ups that existed when the highway was shrunk down to two lanes. I had never seen the traffic backed up as badly as it was; and there were no accidents that day! What does that tell you about the condition of the road surface itself - in that three years later, more joints are being replaced. Obviously the Michigan DOT is doing the most proactive thing it can do by replacing the joints and potholes and extending the surface life of the road. I imagine if they would've let this road deteriorate even further and not done any repairs for two or three years, it could've been in much worse shape. It's clear to me these sections of roadway are in need of a total overhaul sooner rather than later. But like I've said in previous blogs, the state of Michigan is facing major budget obstacles and it's not likely to get any better in future years. Moneys for roadway repairs will continue to dwindle further and further.

Another project being funded with ARRA money is the eastbound lanes of 41/28 right along the busiest stretch of highway in the Upper Peninsula - between Wal-Mart and the Holiday Inn. MDOT doesn't want to cause massive traffic back-ups on this stretch of road during peak driving hours, so they are going to perform the majority of the work at night. The last time this roadway was resurfaced was at least ten years ago - and it certainly needs the work. Underneath the layer or two of asphalt is an old concrete highway. Along with the asphalt, the cement is also deteriorating. So the road crews have to repair the joints on the old cement portion of the highway along with resurfacing the asphalt to make for a more smoother ride. I cannot say exactly when this portion of highway was originally built, but my best estimate would be in the 1960's and '70's. It, too, needs a total overhaul but that's something we'll likely not see for sometime. And I've got to admit, the last resurfacing held up pretty well within ten years-time. Here's hoping the next round will last just as long.

The next project is a complete resurfacing of state highway 553 from the junction of US-41/28 to the junction of County Road 480 at the Crossroads. It's a little over six miles of roadway and again, this resurfacing is sorely needed. This is a project that MDOT has funded on its own as it is not using any ARRA money. Roughly ten years ago (if not more than that), this roadway was classified as a county highway with no state jurisdiction. MDOT took over this roadway from the county after K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base closed and the county moved the airport to the former air base. At the time, a major state highway was not designated in and around the former air force base. Seeing that the airport was moving out there and people needed to be familiar with a route to and from the airport that they could find on a map, they took over this and another highway from Marquette County. Minor repairs have been undertaken on this stretch of roadway since MDOT took over, but no major repairs (except for the installation of a new bridge after the spring floods in 2002). I travel part of this route on a daily basis, so I am looking forward to a much smoother ride.

Last but not least for this construction season is a major reconstruction of an intersection within the community of Harvey and the resurfacing of US-41 south of Harvey to Beaver Grove. The intersection in question is where M-28 heads east towards Munising and US-41 heads south. North takes you to Marquette and west takes you to County Road 480. It's a busy intersection that has a six-phase traffic signal. Much of the traffic either heads east or north and during busiest peak travel times, the one lane of traffic designated for these traffic movements usually is inadequate. The surface of the intersection is also in bad shape - again it's that 1960's-era concrete that has outlived it's usefulness. I know MDOT has tried to patch the worst spots at the intersection, but it hasn't been enough. The road surface is crumbling and MDOT is taking the initiative to completely reconstruct the intersection with asphalt and to erect a new modernized traffic signal there. I am hoping as part of the intersection's reconstruction, two lanes of traffic will be designated for the eastward-moving cars traveling on M-28. That is where I can see the biggest improvement existing for this intersection as well as a better timed signal, too. And typically I never have to travel east from this intersection but I can just imagine the frustration that some people must feel of waiting and waiting at this signal daily due to the congestion that exists. Hopefully the work planned this summer at this location will alleviate some of the frustration of drivers here.

Along with the work at this intersection is the resurfacing of US-41 south of M-28 for approximately three miles. This stretch of roadway is two lanes and underneath the three layers of asphalt is a crumbling concrete roadway. Again, I don't know the exact age of the original roadway, but I would guess at least the 1950's. MDOT again will do a quick patch and fix of this highway that needs a total reconstruction. I believe the last time they resurfaced this road was only four years ago. But already, it seems much older with the surface crumbling at the joints in the old concrete road. If they ever do decide to reconstruct this roadway in the future, I am hoping they at least put in a two-laned highway with a center turn lane. It has become a busy stretch of highway that is in need of expansion and reconstruction. Here's hoping the latest resurfacing last much longer than the last repair did.

I feel as if I may be boring some people with the subject matter of road construction. Can you tell that it's a passion of mine, even though I am sitting on the sidelines? If I was smarter at math, one of my dream jobs would've been to become a roadway engineer. But, it wasn't meant to be. At least in regards to roadways here in the Upper Peninsula, they usually do not hold up for that long. And that is why road construction will always exist!

Roadgeek

So, are you a roadgeek? I admit that I qualify under that term. And there's a majority of people out there who probably don't know what a roadgeek is. Well simply put, the definition of "roadgeek" as found on Wikipedia is this: "an individual involved in "roadgeeking" or "road enthusiasm" - an interest in roads as a hobby." As far as I can remember, I've always been interested in roads and road construction. Now there are such people out there who are hardcore roadgeeks where they travel hundreds if not thousands of miles across a particular region just to see what the particular numbered state route or freeway looks like. Take for example in Michigan, where hardcore roadgeeks travel all across the state to "clinch" their trips to see all of the M-numbered highways, US-numbered highways, and Interstate highways in the state. Some even take pictures of the designated highway shield as proof they've been there. Now I don't take it that far and if I happen to be traveling through a particular area that I've never driven or haven't visited in awhile, then I take notice but always focus on the roadways. I admit, seeing the discrepancies in highway construction and planning can be quite fascinating.

Take for example here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As many of you may know, the U.P. is pretty isolated with miles of trees taking up a lot of the acreage up here. Most of the highways here are two-laned, except when you hit the bigger towns and cities where they tend to be four-laned. The U.P. is home to only one Interstate highway and that's I-75 that starts at the Mackinac Bridge in the Southeastern corner of the U.P. and heads north to Sault Ste. Marie where the highway heads up into Canada. I live in the central portion of the peninsula and it's pretty rare for me and my family to see that end of the U.P. since it's a couple of hours away. If we go anywhere out of the area, usually it's to the south and west. We have at least five US-numbered highways with the majority of them being two-laned (but four-laned in bigger towns and cities). And then of course the state routes, which have the letter "M" in front of the route numbers, like M-28 which is the longest route in the Upper Peninsula. These are very similiar to the US routes up here. There's not a lot of major road building that takes place up here. The population generally stays pretty flat from year to year, so the state department of transportation doesn't feel the need to upgrade the routes to freeway standards. And for the most part, I agree with their decision making. However, they could stand to invest a little more money in the highway transportation needs up here.

You take for example the state of Wisconsin. US-41, the major north to south route up here, makes it's way south through eastern Wisconsin, beyond Milwaukee and heads out of state. Wisconsin is currently undertaking a major upgrade to the final segment of the highway that's two-laned between the communities of Oconto and Peshtigo. Currently it's a busy stretch of road with many vehicles traveling north or south on just two lanes. Traffic accidents have been more frequent as well, so Wisconsin stepped up the plate and began upgrading the route. So the need to upgrade that strech of roadway makes sense. So what are they doing here in Michigan on US-41? Not much of anything. But then again, the state of Michigan is hurting financially as it is. So it's not really much of a surprise that the state is laying low in expanding their routes. They're having a hard enough time as it is maintaining good pavement quality on their roads statewide as it is. But here in the central and western Upper Peninsula, a major north to south four-laned divided highway is sorely needed. Heck, we don't even have a divided highway that goes east and west along the entire length of the peninsula. And I know what the traditionalists and preservationists are gonna say - if you want to keep the U.P. scenic and natural as it is now, don't build major highways. But goods and services need better means of getting across the U.P. than on two-laned highways. Also, if we're to have more higher paying jobs come to our area, we need the bigger highways. It's as simple as that. Marquette, the largest city in the Upper Peninsula, is not served well by our current highway system. Major development is occuring along the highway through the city already and it's causing the roadway to become very congested. So there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to transportation issues here in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

I could go on and on about roadway issues up here, but I'm probably boring a lot of people out there on this topic. It's a topic I am passionate about and hopefully someday the traffic issues up here will begin to be improved. Obviously it's not going to happen overnight and with the way our economy is these days, it may be years and years before we finally see something evolve. Like I said earlier, it's not like our roadways up here are congested beyond belief and there's no relief in sight. Most of the highways up here are adequate but there are areas needing improvement. I see how much more aggressive the state of Wisconsin is when it comes to repairing and doing major construction on their highways and it's often like night and day between the two states. Then again, they pay more for their gasoline taxes to repair their highways. They say the state of Michigan's roadway system is crumbling with each passing day. And with an antiquated funding system currently in place for our roads, they'll only get worse before they get better. That's a pretty scary thought. Before you know it, we'll be driving on gravel roads more than paved roads soon enough (locally, at least).