M-22 Road Resurfacing In Suttons Bay & More Spring Construction On The Horizon

Leelanau County’s road construction season is upon us.

Resurfacing will kick off this spring on M-22 in Suttons Bay, with numerous other road projects — including a special assessment district effort to re-pave the Sugar Loaf Chalets development in Centerville Township, and repairs to Bugai Road between M-72 and Lincoln — to follow soon. 

First up: Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has awarded Reith-Riley of Traverse City a contract for $619,369.58 to complete 2.3 miles of milling and resurfacing plus pavement markings on M-22 in Suttons Bay.

There are two disconnected project segments that comprise the project, shares Dan Wagner, MDOT’s manager of the Traverse City Transportation Service Center. One is from south of Front Street to south of M-204 (approximately 0.5 miles in the village proper) and the other is from north of Dumas Road to the north side of Mill Pond Bridge. 

The contractor will mill off 1.5” of the existing pavement and repave it with the same thickness. “The nature of this work is very straightforward,” says Wagner. “We call this a mill-and-fill and these projects typically proceed very rapidly.”

Work could start as soon as May 16. All contract work — except for the final application of pavement markings — is to be wrapped up by June 10, with a final completion date of July 8, 2022.

Work will be suspended during Memorial Day weekend, starting at 3pm Friday through 6am Tuesday, with a similar Friday-to-Tuesday pause planned for the Independence Day holiday weekend.

Says Wagner, “This work was purposefully scheduled to occur in the shoulder season to have minimal disruption on the community. We hope that most can recognize that this very short-term interruption will provide a long-term direct benefit to the community [with] new pavement that will make it more safe and inviting for residents and visitors for years to come.”

The total investment associated with the M-22 project is approximately $700K.

Meanwhile, Brendan Mullane, managing director with the Leelanau County Road Commission, shares that the commission awarded a nearly $1.5 million contract to Team Elmer’s last week for 14 paving projects on deck this spring and summer. The contract work with Team Elmer’s will be supplemented by work by the road commission itself. 

The project to re-pave approximately two miles of roads in the Sugar Loaf Chalets neighborhood in Centerville Township — with a total cost estimated at $487,970 — is a (SAD) special assessment district collaboration with the county, township and property owners. The county road commission will be providing 50 percent of the funding; the township is providing 25 percent; and the residents of Sugar Loaf Chalets (according to the township, that is all properties fronting on Sugar Maple Drive and the streets connecting to it) are footing the remaining 25 percent.

Other paving projects from the Team Elmer’s contract with the county on the horizon this spring and summer:

• Hilltop Road in Bingham Township from Elm Valley Road to M-22.
• East Sugar Bay Lane in Cleveland Township from the cul-de-sac to Lime Lake Road.
• Hoxie Road in Elmwood Township from Grandview Road to Lincoln Road.
• Dalzell Road in Elmwood Township from County Road 633 to Hillside Drive.
• Tremain Road in Kasson and Cleveland townships from County Road 616 to Trumbull Road.
• Gills Pier Road in Leelanau Township from M-22 to the pavement’s end.
• Cedar Road in Solon Township from the county line to M-72.
• Hanson Road in Suttons Bay Township from County Road 637 to Setterbo Road.
• Stowe Road in Suttons Bay Township from Solem Road to the road end.
• Peshawbestown Road in Suttons Bay Township from McKeese Road to Putnam Road.
• Peck Road in Suttons Bay Township from M-22 to Stony Point Road.
• Stony Point Road in Suttons Bay Township from the village/ township line to Lovers Lane.

Mullane also shares a few notable non-Team Elmer’s projects on the books for spring/summer 2022: improvements to Bugai Rd (M-72 to Lincoln); a Lee Point Road culvert replacement; and Carlson Road improvements, including paving sections of the road. He says the Carlson Road project is entirely funded, designed and managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

There are also 50 miles of primary road chip seal projects that will take place between mid-June and end of August. Affected roads are County Road 618 in Bingham Township; County Road 651 in Cleveland Township; County Road 669 in Kasson and Cleveland Townships; County Road 633 in Leelanau Township; County Road 626 in Leland/Leelanau Townships; County Road 637 in Suttons Bay and Leelanau Townships; and County Road 614 in Solon and Elmwood Townships.

And — though nothing is yet finalized — Mullane notes “there is a chance of seeing the beginning of work on County Road 675 for the Crystal River culvert project.”

As reported in December, that section of County Road 675 outside Glen Arbor consists of three aging culvert systems that direct the water under the road. They are gradually crumbling, potentially endangering drivers, marine life, and those traversing the river in canoes or kayaks. The road commission is enlisting several partners to address funding and the environmental challenges, including the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Conservation Resource Alliance, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Natural Resources Conservation Service-USDA. The local government and nonprofit organizations have been working to identify culvert replacement options that restore a more natural flow to the Crystal River. Early plans call for timber bridges for two of the crossings and a concrete and steel structure to replace the culverts under County Road 675 closest to M-22.

Here, watch a video documenting the upcoming Crystal River Bridge project, and stay tuned for a public information session from the road commission detailing construction plans.