City pushes for M-68 reconstruction project
by Angie Asam, Staff Writer
The Onaway city commission met last Monday and signed an agreement with LKF Consulting and Wilcox Professional services to do a preliminary engineering report and environmental studies on replacing the water main under M-68 in Onaway.
The agreements total $10,000 in expenses to the city. The two studies are a necessity if the city is to receive any grant funding from the United States Department of Agriculture ? Rural Development (USDA-RD) but do not guarantee the funding will come through.
The city is hoping that by getting a grant to replace the water main, when M-68 is torn up the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will consider reconstructing the state highway at the same time. The road reconstruction project in itself according to MDOT would be a $3
City manager Joe Hefele is hopeful if the city gets grant funding from USDA-RD to redo the water main that is nearly 100 years old and only 4 inches in diameter that MDOT would be able to save some money on the project and it would be moved up the priority list.
The MDOT project would include street reconstruction, curbs, gutters, storm drains, sidewalks and hopefully streetscape. If MDOT decides to do street reconstruction it is possible that additional streetscape projects along the M-68 corridor could also be done through the Michigan Economic Development Commission (MEDC) .
The agreements have been signed to have the environmental study and preliminary engineering report done and work has begun to get those studies completed. No payment will need to be made to either Wilcox Professional Services or LKF Consulting until the next fiscal year.