A ground-breaking ceremony Tuesday began a 4.8-mile resurfacing project on US-127.

The project, expected to continue until November, is permanently fixing north and southbound lanes starting at the entrance to US-127 from the Mission Road exit in Mount Pleasant to exit 135 for Blanchard Road.

Because of stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the construction will take a lot less time, said Terry Palmer, manager of Michigan Department of Transportation’s Bay Region Transportation Service Center.

“(The project) was split into two years originally because of funding,” he said. “Thanks to federal funding, (we can complete this in) 2009, which is a great thing.”

The project will cost $2.7 million less than anticipated because of stimulus funding and competitive bidding on the construction, he said.

It was originally slated to cost $12.7 million and was planned to last from 2012 to 2013.

Central Asphalt, located at 900 S. Bradley St., submitted the lowest bid on the project, estimated at $9.3 million. The entire project is estimated to come in at $9.9 million, said Bill Mayhew, MDOT delivery manager.

In December, notification came that the project could be completed early with the new funds.

Staged undercuts, trenching under bridges and joint fixtures will all be components of the project, Mayhew said.

Both southbound lanes will be open on Sundays and both northbound lanes will be open on Fridays until Labor Day weekend to accommodate the flow of traffic. Palmer said maintaining traffic flow is an important element of keeping the highway running smoothly.

“Mobility is one of our big things,” he said.

The construction is expected to be completed by November 15.

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E-mail the author: Hilary Farrell