By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Daily Star
NILES – Construction on Barron Lake Road began just nine days go, but people who live on and travel the road daily are already hoping it's over soon.
Reith Riley, a company out of Benton Harbor, was hired to do work on the road between Korn and Cook streets. The project includes putting a new guard rail up, widening the road, flattening the slopes and installing a new culvert.
"We're hoping it will be done around July 9," Jerry Turner, Project Engineer for the Cass County Road Commission said. "This all has to be done to meet the new standards in that area."
The project, which is costing a total of $468,607.46, has become somewhat of a hassle for drivers. The main reason being that the only detour route is five miles out of the way. Drivers must turn at Hoyt Street and head east, go north on Anderson Road and west on White Street.
"It's about 5 to 5 1/2 miles out of the way, but it's the only possible detour in that area," Turner said.
Kenneth Smith, Inc. drivers use Barron Lake Road daily, running to and from Moose Lake Aggregates. President of the company Kenneth Smith said the project has caused some hassle for the drivers, but they understand it has to be done.
"We're in the construction business, so we understand. We just have to learn to deal with it, which is what we are doing," Smith stated.
Smith said the only real difference has been that the detour is causing the trucks to put on more miles and burn more fuel. He also said the drivers sometime take different routes, depending on if they have a load or not.
Turner said another project will begin on Barron Lake Road in late July, which will include resurfacing the road from M-60 to Cook Street.
"We will not have to close the road for this project. There will be one lane open at all times under flag control," Turner added.
Old 31 to be resurfaced
On Thursday, approximately two miles of Old 31 will be resurfaced from Dean's Hill Road northwest to Lemon Creek in Berrien County. The completion of this project in August will change Old 31 from a two-lane highway to a three-lane highway.
Old 31 will be paved from Lemon Creek to Ferry Street, with no work planned on the Fourth of July. One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction. This work is expected to be completed by Friday, July 6.
After a local government streetscape project is completed in mid-August, Old 31 from Ferry Street south to Dean's Hill Road will be resurfaced. This resurfacing project is expected to be completed by late August.
For up-to-date information on this project, go to the list of statewide lane closures on MDOT's Web site at www.michigan.gov/laneclosures.