By Jim Bloch
Get ready for roadwork in the city of St. Clair.
At the regular meeting of the city council April 21, City Superintendent Quentin Bishop announced the start dates for summer street work.
“For N. Sixth Street, the contractor has begun to mobilize and has a calendar date of May 12,” said Bishop, as heard on the CTV-Channel 6 recording of the meeting posted on YouTube.
Murray Underground Systems, Inc., of Fort Gratiot, won the contract to rebuild Sixth Street from Vine to Brown streets and to correct a drainage problem on 11th Street, south of Cedar Street; the firm was the lowest of 10 bidders at $596,438.
The project involves removing and replacing the hot mix asphalt pavement over the existing aggregate base, removing and replacing the curbs, gutters and driveway approaches, as well as storm drainage improvements. The sidewalk on the west side of Sixth Street now stops about 300 feet south of Brown Street; the contractor will build a section connecting the stub to Brown. The new walkway will be five feet wide.
Murray will also fix the drainage issue at the end of S. 11th Street, where water ponds at the end of the cul-de-sac during rainstorms. The contractor will add a new catch basin to the cul-de-sac.
“The mill and fill projects … are scheduled to begin May 15,” said Bishop.
T.J. Priehs, of Imlay City, won the contract to repave parts of four streets with a low bid of $368,365. The work will take place on 10th Street between Clinton Ave. and Adams Street; Witherell Street between Third and 10th streets; 15th Street between Fred Moore Highway and Hugo; and Fort Street from Ninth Street to Fred Moore Highway.
Witherell Street will see 2,000 feet of roadway resurfaced; 10th Street, 1,359 feet; 15th Street, 1,122; and Fort Street, 720.
“The 2025 Street Resurfacing project involves the milling and replacement of four inches of hot mix asphalt pavement over the existing aggregate base,” said Bishop in a March memo to the city council.
The mill and fill work will be paid out of the city’s 10-year road millage of 2.445, approved by voters in March 2016.
“They’ll be working through May, June, and July, around all of the major holidays, insuring we’re not having active construction and making it safe as possible for those times a year where we’re going to have thousands and thousands of visitors in the city of St. Clair,” said Bishop.
Council member Micah Volz asked if residents affected by the construction could bag their garbage without using the new Waste Management bins during construction.
“I’ll have to double check on that,” said Bishop. “I do know that service will not be interrupted.”
Bishop said he would also check the status of compost pickup.
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
