Resurfacing work on M-59 expected to cost $4 million

Just as brushing your teeth a couple times a day can save you the trouble of an expensive root canal, periodically resurfacing roads can save them from completely deteriorating and costing a fortune.

It’s all about being proactive, which is why M-59 will be resurfaced by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) next month in White Lake Township.

According to township Planning Director Sean O’Neil, M-59 will be resurfaced from Williams Lake Road all the way to the township’s western border east of Duck Lake Road. That’s at least the work being conducted in White Lake.

O’Neil said that some of the resurfacing will go “well into Highland” Township as the entire project spans from Williams Lake Road to Tipsico Lake Road.

In addition, some of the intersections will be upgraded with new signals and ramps for pedestrian use.

“From my understanding, it’s not every intersection, but just those that haven’t been updated for a while,” O’Neil explained.

The entire project is estimated to cost around $4 million.

“From what I understand, this is just a fraction of a cost of what it would take to completely rebuild a road,” O’Neil said. “M-59 throughout the township is in a decent condition. However, from my understanding, resurfacing the road is done periodically to extend the life of the road. It’s easier and cheaper to do if the road is in a decent condition rather than destroyed. It’s basically a project for preventative maintenance.”

While the project is slated to take place between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15, a ribbon-cutting ceremony is set to take place at noon on Aug. 1 at the White Lake Township offices.

And although the project is expected to take at least a month, most of the work is to be done at night, between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. with intermittent lane closures when necessary.

However, those lane closures are not expected to take place during peak traffic hours.

“There’s not supposed to be any closures on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. — essentially during the rush hour periods during the week,” O’Neil said.