Legislation currently in the state House of Representatives would allow county commissions to use property tax revenue to fund road projects. Under current law, county commissions can transfer a budget surplus from the general fund to pay for road work, except for funds that are derived from property tax revenue, the main revenue source for counties and municipalities. State Rep. Dale Zorn (R-Ida) introduced the legislation, House Bill 4347, which would amend Public Act 253 [...]

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is constructing a new pedestrian overpass spanning Telegraph Road and connecting with the Clinton River Trail on each side so pedestrians can cross the major north-south thoroughfare safely. The project is located at the border of Pontiac and Sylvan Lake, north of Orchard Lake Road and just south of the Waterford Township border, where the Clinton River Trail intersects with Telegraph Road. The city of Pontiac was awarded $2 [...]

If you’re an Oakland County resident living on a gravel road and would like to participate in the Road Commission for Oakland County’s (RCOC) dust control program, you can now submit an application for the service. Applications must be received by May 2. The program involves the RCOC applying mineral well brine to gravel roads four times during the summer to help control dust. Mineral well brine is naturally-occurring salt water that is pumped from [...]

Due to the surge of complaints involving a delay in the Pontiac Trail and West Maple Road intersection reconstruction project in Walled Lake, the county’s Federal Aid Task Force Committee has been compelled to shuffle projects around to move it up one year. The project was initially scheduled for 2013. The roadways riddled with potholes frustrated residents and officials who vocalized their disgust repeatedly to the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC), which maintains jurisdiction [...]

A new online system is being launched for the public to report and avoid potholes as the pending warmer weather is expected to usher in problems on the roads when temperatures fluctuate between freeze and thaw. Michigan motorists can visit www.drivemi.org and submit pothole locations, photos and comments to the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA), the road agency sponsoring the new pothole reporting system. MITA will gather the information to create a new statewide [...]

A proposal currently being reviewed by the state Senate Transportation Committee seeks to change the law on banning driver license renewals depending on the number of unpaid parking tickets the applicant motorist has incurred. State Sen. Dave Hildenbrand (R-Lowell) introduced Senate Bill (SB) 130 on Thursday, Feb. 10 to amend the Michigan Vehicle Code. Currently the law states that a license will not be renewed if the motorist failed to respond to three or more [...]

The construction of the Oakland County International Airport’s (OCIA) new “green” terminal is gaining ground in an effort to replace the existing building which has been in service for over half a century. Work on the new terminal began in the spring of 2009 and the building is expected to open this summer. Due to a series of problems with the current terminal building, such as single pane windows, evidence of asbestos, and a leaky [...]

A bill recently introduced in the state House of Representatives calling for a requirement that state-subsidized transit agencies use money from their ridership fees to pay for operating expenses may impact lakes area public transit agencies like the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) and Highland/Milford Transportation. Currently, public transportation systems such as SMART are supported with a combination of state, federal, and local funds under the state’s Comprehensive Transportation Fund (CTF). The CTF [...]

A pair of bills currently in the state House of Representatives proposes that a small percentage of discretionary state general fund spending be diverted into the state’s aeronautics fund. State Rep. Dave Agema (R-Grandville) introduced the bills last month in an effort to boost the federal match on funding for the aeronautic industry that has been dropping steadily for years. “We were looking at where the best federal matches could come from for roads and [...]

A lakes area state lawmaker is resurrecting a controversial subject on behalf of lakes area residents and officials by seeking to revise the way speed limits are set along the county’s approximately 800 miles of dirt and gravel roads. State Rep. Eileen Kowall (R-White Lake, Highland) introduced House Bill (HB) 4037 on Thursday, Jan. 13. It would amend Public Act (PA) 300 of 1949 and applies to a speed limit that was posted as of [...]