Gravel to give way to pavement

Region

Related Photos

This crumbling portion of Washington Street, between Railroad Avenue and Barlow Street, is among Traverse City's street projects slated for improvement in 2012-13. Record-Eagle/Vanessa McCray

June 13, 2012

Gravel to give way to pavement

Five streets may be updated from gravel to paved this year

By Vanessa McCray vmccray@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Wed Jun 13, 2012, 09:09 AM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY — Just a few turns from Traverse City's busiest streets are some of its only remaining gravel roads.

These dusty drags are more country lanes or back alleys than city streets. They run throughout Traverse City — near the base of Old Mission Peninsula, east of Boardman Lake and just a gravel stone's throw from Division Street.

Five gravel roads are recommended to be paved as part of the city's 2012-13 streets projects. The planning commission will review the list in August to determine if the proposed upgrades match the city's master plan, and work could begin next spring.

Residents soon will be notified by mail soon of nearby proposed projects. City Planner Russ Soyring said the planning commission will ask for public suggestions and consider any modifications.

"They have a lot of opinions about their streets that they live on," he said. "We're taking that time to gather that input ... . What we end up (with) is a street that's less controversial."

The chosen ones this time around include Western Street, from Birchwood Avenue to East Bay Boulevard; Fern Street, from the railroad tracks to Hannah Avenue; Grove Street, from Grant to Rose streets, and Cypress and Xavier streets. Four city roads would remain unpaved following that work.

The project list also includes work in the Orchard Heights Neighborhood, near Traverse City Central High School; upgrading parts of Wayne and Hope streets and repaving a scarred section of Washington Street, between Railroad Avenue and Barlow Street.

The projects are funded with $1 million from the general fund, set aside by city commissioners for yearly infrastructure improvements. The streets on the list or the extent of upgrades could change during the review process, city Manager Ben Bifoss said.

The city "eventually" wants to pave all gravel streets to reduce maintenance expenses, Soyring said.

"Gravel streets are more costly," he said. "For the summer, we need to do dust control and re-grading after a heavy rain."

Jim Heckler lives near the to-be-paved portion of Grove Street and avoids the gravel road "on rainy days, especially." He'd like to see the city work on sidewalks along Hannah Avenue, but said it's welcome "anytime they can make an improvement."

"That's good for the people that live along there," Heckler said, of the paving project.

The city studies and rates its streets, seeking ways to extend dollars, Soyring said. Some sites are where utility work will take place. Replacement of water and sanitary sewer mains is needed in the Orchard Heights Neighborhood, for example.

"We are looking at the streets that really need to be looked at and the return of our investment," he said.

Planning commissioners will meet Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Governmental Center to review the streets projects for consistency with the master plan.

This year's city projects include East Bay Boulevard, expected to finish in a few weeks. Work on Pine and State streets reconstruction will occur in the fall.