Austin Road Construction Starts Today – What You Need to Know to Plan Your Commute
Austin Road, just east of M-52 where the road crosses the River Raisin.
The Washtenaw County Road Commission will begin work on Austin Road this Monday, September 22nd. (You can check out their website for the basics.) The project includes a series of safety upgrades and will continue into November.
According to the WCRC, the project will extend two culverts in order to provide proper ditch slopes and remove the guardrail. One culvert will be improved to allow for proper shoulder widths and install guardrail to today’s specifications. Then there will be work to stabilize the bank of the Raisin River near M-52 to help save the road and guardrail from being undermined. Finally, the signage will be upgraded to help motorists navigate the curves between Clinton Road and M-52.
The WCRC was awarded $380,000 in Federal money to improve the culvert locations and traffic signage within this segment. “Unfortunately,” Brent Schlack noted, “the bids came in high at approximately $415,000, but our Board was not hesitant to authorize the additional amount to allow for this project to be built.”
The WCRC has identified five sites along Austin Road where safety improvements are planned.
The WCRC has offered the following tentative schedule, including guidance about what traffic will be like.
Site Location 1 (Sept 22 – Sept. 26)
Work items at Site Location 1 (location as shown above) include guardrail removal and replacement and stream bank stabilization on the north side of Austin Rd. Maintain one 11 ft lane of traffic in alternating directions on the south side of Austin Rd utilizing flag control. Plastic drums will be used to separate the work zone from the traffic lane at this site location. The roadway shall be reopened to traffic in both directions at the end of each work period.
Site Location 2 (Oct. 6 – Oct. 10)
Work items at Site Location 2 (location as shown above) include guardrail removal and replacement at the Austin Rd bridge over the River Raisin. Maintain one 11 ft lane of traffic in alternating directions on one side of Austin Rd utilizing flag control while work is being performed on the opposite side of the roadway. Plastic drums will be used to separate the work zone from the traffic lane at this site location. The roadway shall be reopened to traffic in both directions at the end of each work period.
Site Location 3 (Sept. 29 – Oct. 3)
Work items at Site Location 3 (location as shown above) include guardrail removal and full culvert replacement. Austin Rd will be closed to through traffic. All traffic will be detoured over other roads, which have been designated in the contract plans. Site Location 3 work may not be performed concurrently with Site Locations 4 or 5.
Site Location 4 (Oct. 6 – Oct. 10)
Work items at Site Location 4 (location as shown above) include guardrail removal and full culvert replacement. Austin Rd will be closed to through traffic. All traffic will be detoured over other roads, which have been designated in the contract plans. Site Location 4 work may not be performed concurrently with Site Locations 3 or 5.
Site Location 5 (Oct. 13 – Oct. 24)
Work items at Site Location 5 (location as shown above) include guardrail removal & replacement and full culvert replacement. Austin Rd will be closed to through traffic. All traffic will be detoured over other roads, which have been designated in the contract plans. Site Location 5 work may not be performed concurrently with Site Locations 3 or 4.
Paving and restoration: Oct. 27 – Oct. 31
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