Road work season beginsProjects kick off in local countiesMay 19, 2012

By Jason Raiche - staff writer (jraiche@dailypress.net) , Daily Press Save | Comments (4) | Post a comment |

ESCANABA - Motorists in Delta, Schoolcraft, and northern Menominee counties may have to plan ahead when traveling this summer.

Officials from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) say the counties will be affected by a number of road construction projects this summer.

According to MDOT Superior Region Communications Representative James Lake, Delta County will experience a handful of low-impact road construction.

One project includes road resurfacing along a more than five-mile stretch of U.S. 2 from Wells to Gladstone, which begins May 23 and runs until approximately Aug. 26. Lake said drivers will be impacted by daytime lane closures and traffic shifts. The project costs just more than $2 million.

Additionally, resurfacing of a four-and-one-half mile stretch of U.S. 2 from Rapid River to County Road 511 will cause lane closures under flag control. The $1.5 million project is slated to begin around May 29 and will run until approximately Aug. 30.

"We've got another little project that's going to go later this summer on M-35," said Lake. "It starts right around the Menominee/Delta County line and heads south. That's just over two miles that we're going to resurface."

This is expected to take place from August to September, using lane closures under flag control.Lake said there will also be four bridge projects happening throughout the county.

The first is a deck resurfacing and painting project along U.S. 2 on the two bridges over CN Railroad in Gladstone. The deck resurfacing and painting was expected to begin Friday and last until approximately Sept. 4. During this time, motorists should anticipate lane closures.

The Sturgeon River Bridge along U.S. 2 in the Nahma area will cause traffic shifts as the bridge will be painted later this month into the end of June.

The Days River Bridge in Brampton will have a temporary traffic signal beginning Sept. 4 through Oct. 19 due to a deck resurfacing and painting project.

Lake said the four bridge projects are packaged together as part of a $1.7 million project.

Motorists in Schoolcraft County will notice some higher impact construction on M-94 in Manistique, ranging from 5th Street to Chippewa Avenue. This includes road reconstruction and city water and sanitary sewer replacement as part of the city's west side infrastructure and utility project. Because of this, there will be a detour on the city's streets beginning sometime in June. The project is expected to be completed in November. MDOT's portion of the city's infrastructure project costs $1.2 million and spans four-tenths of a mile.

Road resurfacing from Seney to the Seney Rest Area along M-28 in northern Schoolcraft County is also expected to begin later this month. Construction should wrap up by the end of June, using lane closures under flag control during the resurfacing.

"In our work zones, a lot of things are going on all at once," Lake reminded motorists. "Motorists need to stay focused and be careful when moving through those work zones. We realize that it can be frustrating at times to be stopped for construction, but we do our best to keep traffic moving, and we appreciate the motorists' patience."

For more information on the construction projects, contact MDOT's Superior Region Office at (906) 786-1830.

Time of Inspection

• Inspections shall be made during regular working hours of the establishment, except when special circumstances indicate otherwise.

Initial Contact

• Upon arriving at the worksite, the compliance officer shall proceed immediately to the appropriate entrance, such as main office, construction trailer, security post, etc.

Opening Conference Attendance

• Attempt to inform all affected employers of the purpose of the inspection

• Attempt to obtain the employers consent to include participation of an employee representative when appropriate.

Employee Participation

• The compliance officer shall advise the employer that Section 29(4) of the Act requires that an employee representative be given an opportunity to participate in the inspection.

Scope

• Photographic evidence (including videos)

• Samples and measurements

• Privately interview employees

• Review of required records and posters

• Possible referrals

• Closing conference

Release for Entry

• The compliance officer shall not sign any form or release or agree to any waiver. This includes any employer forms concerned with trade secret information.

Walkaround Inspection

• To identify potential safety or health hazards and alleged violations of the lead and related regulations.