TRAVERSE CITY -- Neither Traverse City nor Grand Traverse County shied from asking federal officials to pay for major road projects from the $789 billion federal stimulus bill.
Traverse City listed $28 million worth of project requests, including $6.8 million to create a Boardman Lake Avenue and $1.75 million to replace the Front Street Bridge and overhaul the south Cass Street Bridge.
The county road commission's wish list totals almost $14 million, including projects of $4.35 million to widen Three Mile Road and $2 million to resurface Hammond Road.
But those projects are unlikely, since the city and county expect to have just over $1 million to share from the stimulus pot.
The city's two priority projects are $750,000 to reconstruct Eighth Street and $350,000 to fix the failing Kids Creek culvert under Wadsworth Street.
Other projects on the city's list that could possibly receive funding include: resurfacing the city portion of Veterans Drive for $470,000; paving Elmwood Avenue from Front Street to Bay Street for $800,000; extending Franke Road into the Commons at an estimated cost of $800,000; and reconstruction of Pine and State streets for $470,000.
The city also included $220,000 worth of improvements for Wadsworth, Maple and Oak streets, plus $15.5 million it would take to fix all the rest of the city's pot-holed side streets.
Local side streets are not eligible for funding, though. Neither is the $1.5 million the road commission sought to fix Holiday Road in Acme and East Bay townships.
The road commission's initial priorities are heat-applied road markings for $475,000; widening Cedar Run Road between Gallagher and Gray roads for $300,000; and resurfacing Karlin Road from M-137 to Youker Road for $500,000.
Other projects on the road commission list included: resurfacing South Airport Road from Cass Road to U.S. 31 for $900,000; resurfacing and shoulder work on Gray Road from Cedar Run Road to M-72 for $500,000; and trenching, widening and installing rumble strips on Nessen Road from Karlin Road to the Benzie County line for $750,000.
The road commission's $2.3 million request for 10 plow trucks and two graders won't be eligible for funding.
More information about the economic stimulus plan in Michigan along with a list of more than 16,000 project requests totaling more than $49 billion can be found at www.michigan.gov/recovery.
