First Look At Battle Creek’s 2020 Road Projects

Battle Creek's City Commission approved the first round of road construction projects for 2020.

The City Commission approved the projects during Tuesday’s regular meeting. City staff tentatively expect work to begin in May.

Before work begins, residents may encounter the city team performing maintenance and inspections, including activities like tree trimming, water valve exercising, lead water service line replacement, and sewer inspections.

As work is set to begin in specific areas, the city will release details about any road closures or lane shifts, and the expected duration of work. The City of Battle Creek requires contractors to hang door announcements 24 hours ahead of construction.

Treatment types are as follows;  Chip seal is an inexpensive, effective method to extend pavement life, by applying small chips in a liquid asphalt. Then a fog seal, another layer of asphalt, is applied. It can last five to six years, and up to 10 years for low-volume roads. Resurfacing is a quick process in which crews will mill up to two inches off the top of a road – enough to remove defects, and then apply a new layer of asphalt. This can last up to 10 years.

The following roads will be chip sealed:

• Riverside Drive – Beckley Road to Columbia Avenue
• Union Street – Michigan Avenue to Van Buren Street
• Upton Avenue – Angell Street to Kendall Street
• Roosevelt Avenue – Garrison Avenue to Goodale Avenue*
  *This is part of a project to convert the four-lane road to three lanes.

The following roads will be resurfaced:

• Main Street – East Columbia Avenue to Dickman Road** Collaborative project with the Calhoun County Road Department.
• Main Street – Hamblin Avenue to Division Street

In addition to this work, the Michigan Department of Transportation plans repaving work along Dickman Road, from Helmer Road to M-66. Crews also will add a right-turn lane from westbound Dickman to northbound Kendall Street, to improve traffic flow at the intersection, and the Kendall Street railroad crossing.

MDOT tentatively plans construction for May through August, and it will include daytime lane closures, and overnight total road closures, with posted detours.