South Mission Street undergoing nighttime construction through June

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Though Mission Street traffic is often more manageable late at night, nocturnal drivers may not find as smooth of a ride due to extensive road construction this summer.

Because Mission is a state road, the Michigan Department of Transportation is in charge of the nighttime repair project that will take place over the majority of the summer months.

“The area from South Mission through High Street will be finished by the end of June,” said MDOT Delivery Engineer Brian Ulman. “Then beginning July 6 until the end of August, we will work on the area from High Street to North Mission.”

The project encompasses joint and crack repair, as well as road resurfacing and sidewalk repairs at intersections.

In addition to the repairs, MDOT will also install disability ramps on intersection corners.

“By adding texture to those areas (of the sidewalk), it’s easier for people who are blind to tell what part of the sidewalk they are at,” Ulman said.

The project is being carried out at night to avoid heavy daytime traffic on Mission Street.

The Isabella Road project will also be finished this summer. The first half of the project was finished last summer, and the remaining construction between River Road and Baseline Road is slated to finish the Friday before Memorial Day.

Pat Gaffney, an engineer for the Isabella County Road Commission, said the deadline might be pushed back because rain delayed the project’s start date.

“We’re widening the shoulder and creating new ditches as well as repaving,” Gaffney said. “So far, it’s been OK for residents to get around, but it’s been challenging with the Delfield Factory and getting trucks in and out of there.”

Union Township manager Brian Smith said Baseline Road between Mission Street and Isabella Road has funding, but the township is waiting for a contract from the road commission to complete it.

CMU alumnus Chris Bozell said he was fortunate to own a sport utility vehicle while contending with Deerfield Road’s conditions.

“My car is a tank, so the potholes don’t damage my vehicle too badly,” Bozell said. “I just swerve around them. I do see a lot of people on the side of the road with flat tires, though.”

Smith said he is not sure when the Deerfield reconstruction project will begin because Union Township is waiting for the result of a funding request from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.

“If we don’t get the money then the board of trustees will need to determine if General Fund dollars will be used,” he said. “I would like to see the road completed by this fall, but it would be determined by the schedule of the county road commission.”

A sidewalk will also be placed in front of Celebration Cinema, 4935 E. Pickard St., from Pickard Street to National Drive.