The Cass County Road Commission has contacted the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) about the Five Points intersection in Mason Township.

Joseph Bellina, III, the road commission’s chief engineer, reported at its regular meeting Thursday that the county has contacted MDOT to see what their options are for improving safety at the intersection of US-12, Old 205 and Five Points Road.

Last week’s accident that claimed the life of a 4-year-old is the latest in a series of serious accidents at the  intersection

There have also been two other crashes. One was a fatal and one a non-injury accident, which occurred near the intersection but was not related to it, according to police records.

“We are examining and offering potential alternatives to try and improve the safety aspects at this intersection,” Bellina said.

The road commission recently completed improvements at the nearby intersection of M-205 and Redfield Street to the south.

Bellina also reported that property owners in the West Banks subdivision on the north side of Eagle Lake in Ontwa Township took steps to revise the private road to become a public road. He said they submitted all necessary property deeds for acceptance, and the road was built to road commission standards. He said it is in good condition.

The addition of West Banks Drive will create a loop with Oak Springs Street which will connect both streets with North Shore Drive. He said, “This loop should make plowing on the local streets easier to accomplish.”

It was noted that the resurfacing of Elkhart Road from Redfield Street to May Street has been completed. The construction cost was $177,808, which may be adjusted downward Bellina noted. He said federal funds were limited to $143,621 making the road commission responsible for the remainder of $34,187.

Ontwa Township paid $32,000.

The cost to resurface Redfield Street from Fir Road to Kline Road was $199,758. Federal funds paid $166,319 with the balance of $36,256 being paid by the road commission.

Daily Road was also resurfaced north of Yankee Street at a cost of $80,139. The road commission paid $16,239 with Jefferson Township paying 50 percent or $8,050.

It was noted that Maple Road in Marcellus Township was the path for the Gravel Lake addition to the Lake Area Sewer Authority project, which started last summer. Bellina said cleanup work has begun and that he met with inspectors of Wightman and Associates about pre-work conditions and made recommendations to have Maple Street brought back to acceptable conditions. He said the repairs require grading and added materials, which have been difficult to accomplish with recent amounts of rain.

Board Chairman LeRoy Krempec reported that because of bicyclists, it took him 30 minutes to drive from his residence in Mason Township to reach a major highway.

“Township residents are getting upset with this,” Krempec said. “There are large groups that are holding up traffic. It’s becoming a big nuisance.”

He said they don’t ride single file to let motorists pass and they don’t stop for stop signs.

Cass County Commissioner Roseann Marchetti agreed with Krempec, saying they ride the same way in Ontwa Township.

Also, Thursday, new superintendent of operations Greg Bowersox was introduced to the board.