Livingston County Road Commission approves $54.3M budget for 2023
Livingston County road officials have approved a more-than $54.3 million budget for local road and bridge repairs that will include projects on dozens of county roads in 2023.
Some projects have yet to be approved at all levels and others may see costs change, which will mean shifting funds from one project to another.
"Things change throughout the year," Livingston County Road Commission Director Steve Wasylk said during a Dec. 28 budget hearing. "Projects are added. Revenues are added. Things change."
Wasylk said he expects revenues could be higher than forecast, depending how much the commission receives from the state's Michigan Transportation Fund and contributions from local townships.
Road commission officials budgeted for more than $25.9 million in state road funds, the same as 2022, but Wasylk said he expects to receive more in MTF funding. Last year, the road commission budgeted for about $25.2 million in state funds.
"It wasn’t as over forecast as I’d originally hoped, but it was over forecast," he said, also saying the economy led to people not driving as much and not using as much fuel.
He said federal aid will provide "a pretty good chunk this year" and the budget shows more than $7 million in federal aid, up from more than $3.4 million in 2022.
Much of that federal aid is a more-than $4.6 million credit for a $6.5 million project on Old U.S. 23 in Hartland Township from the intersection at M-59/Highland Road to the Brighton Township line south of Bergin Road.
The road will be reconstructed with new pavement and widened for a new center turn lane, with a more than $1.3 million contribution from Hartland Township.
MORE: 2023 will bring highway, road and 'streetscape' construction in Livingston County
The road commission anticipates an additional $6 million for pavement preservation of local roads, which would be split 50-50, with local townships contributing $3 million and the road commission providing matches. Those projects have not yet been determined. Pavement preservation projects are normally approved in March.
Primary road projects in the county expected in 2023 include:
Old U.S. 23 in Hartland Township between the M-59/Highland Road intersection south to the Brighton Township line south of Bergin Road. The project is more than $6.5 million with a $4.6 million federal aid credit and $1.3 million contribution from Hartland Township.
Chilson Road between Crooked Lake and Beck roads in Genoa Township. More than $1.4 million with a more than $997,000 federal aid credit.
Fowlerville Road at the I-96 interchange, between Van Buren Road and Fowlerville village limits in Handy Township; $800,000 with a more than $298,000 federal aid credit.
Marr Road will be improved with limestone gravel between Burkhart Road and the bridge in Howell Township; $250,000
Swarthout Road in Putnam Township will be improved with limestone gravel; $250,000
Cohoctah Road between Antcliff and Oak Grove roads in Cohoctah Township; $95,000 with a $36,500 local contribution
Oak Grove Road between Cohoctah Road and the county line in Cohoctah Township; $60,000 with a $30,000 local contribution
Antcliff Road between Gannon and Cohoctah roads in Cohoctah Township; $45,000 with a $22,500 local contribution
Wasylk said he expects $500,000 for special projects could be used to pave a currently gravel portion of Bergin Road in Hartland Township, from Hacker Road to before Old U.S. 23. He said Hartland Township officials are still considering the pavement project and have not yet approved it.
"If it doesn’t go through, we can move (the money) somewhere else," he said.
Federal aid will help cover most of the cost of upgrading two traffic signals:
Grand River Avenue and Burkhart Road in Howell Township; $198,000 with a more than $178,000 federal aid credit
Grand River Avenue and Trinity Health Medical Center - Brighton in Genoa Township, which will be expanded with a full hospital; $184,000 with a more than $165,000 federal aid credit.
Three bridge projects also appear in the budget:
Peavy Road bridge work will be completed in Marion Township. The project is more than $1.4 million with a $781,000 federal aid credit and more than $146,000 state aid credit
White Road bridge in Deerfield Township; more than $545,000
Gannon Road culvert; $500,000
In addition, the budget includes local, non-primary road repairs:
Bitten Lakes Estates in Brighton Township; $200,000
Bradley Road between Iosco Road and the township line in Iosco Township; $120,000 with a $60,000 local contribution
Cedar Lake Road between Jewell and Norton roads in Marion Township; $115,000 with a $57,500 local contribution
Owosso Road between Allen and Chase Lake roads in Cohoctah Township; $45,000 with a $22,500 local contribution
Armstrong Road from Musson Road to the end in Oceola Township; $86,000 with a $86,000 local contribution
Dunn Road between Green and Argentine roads in Oceola Township; $147,000 with a $147,000 local contribution
Kimberly Drive from Curdy Road to the end in Oceola Township; $66,000 with a $66,000 local contribution
County road officials also budgeted $500,000 for miscellaneous road repairs "for plans or jobs that might pop up," Wasylk said. "It gives us a pot of money, so we don’t have to find it somewhere else."
Contact Livingston Daily reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Livingston County Road Commission approves $54.3M budget for 2023
