Road Commission of Macomb County - Progress In Transportation

Road Commission of Macomb County 117 South Groesbeck Highway Mt. Clemens, MI 48043 Phone 586.463.8671 Fax 586.463.8683		Lawrence J. Moloney, P.E., Chairman Dan G. Dirks, Vice-Chair Fran Gillett, Commissioner

Romeo Plank Widening Complete November 20, 2009 Mount Clemens – Motorists in central Macomb County can celebrate. The Road Commission of Macomb County’s completion this week of the rebuilding and widening of Romeo Plank Road to five lanes, from 19 ½ Mile to Hall Road (M-59), eliminates a major bottleneck for motorists. “I drive that road daily and it is fabulous now,” said Mary Neuman, assistant to Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon. “It is such an improvement over the past that it is hard to describe.” The $5.3 million project is the last section of a two-year, $20 million road expansion and modernization program for the Cass Ave./Romeo Plank Road corridor from the western border of Mount Clemens through Clinton Township and north to 21 ½ Mile in Macomb Township. Pamar Enterprises Inc. of New Haven was the general contractor on the half-mile project from 19 ½ Mile to Hall Road. It included five, 12-foot-wide lanes of concrete pavement, the straightening of the road and building a new bridge over the Gloede Drain with a protected walkway for pedestrians and bicyclists. While that section of the road is finished and open to traffic, work on the half-mile contiues, including restoration to areas disturbed during construction. Road Commissioner Larry Moloney cited Congressman Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, Congresswoman Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, and the Michigan Department of Transportation saying without their financial assistance, the roads would not have been rebuilt at this time. “The money they provided was instrumental in getting it done. Cass and Romeo Plank were overcrowded and needed to be rebuilt and widened,” he said, noting that about 28,000 vehicles used them daily. “That was too much traffic for a two-lane road,” Moloney said. Road Commission County Highway Engineer Bob Hoepfner said Levin and Miller obtained federal funds totaling about $10.3 million for construction costs for two sections of the $20 million, 4.5 mile road building program. In addition, MDOT paid 95 percent of the cost of the new $2 million bridge over the Gloede Drain. The Road Commission and Macomb County shared the other 5 percent of the bridge’s cost. The Road Commission paid the rest of the costs including the purchase of right-of-ways. Levin said in a statement that he was pleased to be “able to assist with obtaining funding for this important project. The completion of the final leg of Cass Ave. in Clinton Township remedies the bottle neck congestion that existed in the area and greatly improves traffic flow throughout Macomb County …” Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon noted that Walmart opened a new store this week on Hall Road and Romeo Plank and he hopes that is a sign the new road will spur economic growth and jobs in the area. “That is especially important with the economy in a recession and Macomb County’s unemployment rate at about 18 percent,” he said. Cannon had lobbied for widening the corridor in Clinton Township. “When I first proposed this people told me it couldn’t be done because of the limited right-of-way on one side and the North Branch of the Clinton River on the other, but the Road Commission was able to fit it into the available space. “The Road Commission did a magnificent job and this road provides great access for central Macomb County residents to all the businesses and shopping areas along Hall Road.” Hoepfner added that the entire 4.5-mile, $20 million road program for Cass Ave. and Romeo Plank also included storm sewers and curbing; new traffic signals at four locations with cameras and pedestrian activated buttons to stop vehicles; two roundabouts; and large, LED lighted street signs at main roads. Here are some facts about the reconstruction and widening to five lanes of Cass Ave. and Romeo Plank Road from Groesbeck to 21 ½ Mile. For the road: • About 220,000 square yards of sand, 12 inches deep, was used for a sub base. • About 230,000 square yards of aggregate, 6 inches deep, was used for a base. • About 188,000 square yards of concrete, 9 inches deep, was poured to create the 5, 12-foot-wide lanes of pavement and two roundabouts on the about 4.5 miles of road. # # # # # # # # Other Press Releases: 2010-04-14 - National Work Zone Awareness Week... 2010-01-04 - Road Commission Elects New Chairman... 2009-11-23 - EPOKE Systems Help Snow And Ice Removal... 2009-11-20 - Romeo Plank Widening Complete... 2009-10-28 - Mound Road Nativity Scene... 2009-09-14 - Road Stimulus Projects... 2009-01-12 - Commissioner Gillett... 2009-01-08 - Expenses...