MUSKEGON, Mich. – After some deliberation regarding the financial and practical aspects of sustainable road work, the Muskegon City Commission approved the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) proposal that would fix Sherman Road using recycled rubber.
During the meeting, Rebecca St. Clair, a city commissioner, said she was concerned about the quality of the project and if the city would be charged twice for rebuilding if the project failed.
“I love the idea of reusing tires in a new way that isn’t environmentally unfriendly,” St. Clair said. “I understand that this is sort of a pilot test situation. What happens if it doesn’t work out?”
Dan VanderHeide, the deputy director of public works for the City of Muskegon, said Musekgon would not be liable for the cost of rebuilding and the recycled rubber would not be added.
“I would assume if it doesn’t work well, the condition of the pavement will deteriorate rapidly,” VanderHeide said. “We would have the obligation, you know, to our motorists to go in there and replace it with standard concrete.”
The construction would stretch from Seaway Drive to 700 feet East of Barclay Street, leaving those 700 feet to be rebuilt later.
Mayor Kenneth Johnson said during the meeting that he wants the road work to stretch from Seaway Drive to Barclay Street and continue north on Barclay Street in the near future because the intersection has large potholes and is crumbling.
Johnson said he hopes the test is a “smashing success” and can be replicated across the state and the country because it is fiscally and environmentally beneficial.
“It’s great that we’re able to be at the forefront of that,” Johnson said.
VanderHeid said the project was made possible by receiving a grant from the state, leveraging federal tax dollars, and acquiring the help of Michigan Tech University which would be providing the crumb rubber.
The use of the rubber substitution would lessen the amount of concrete needed for the construction. However, VanderHeid said the same stretch of road was rebuilt before with the intent to cut costs and deteriorated quickly because of the materials used.
“This section of the road has the technical term is called white topping,” said VenderHeid. “So back in the day, we put concrete on top of asphalt and that was not a good idea. That one did not work out as well as everyone thought it would so unfortunately the road has not held up.”
The city commission eventually approved the construction and the work is set to begin in July or August and last until October.
The city commission also approved the Sanitation Fee in Muskegon to increase from $3.50 per month to $4 per month, the purchase of parking lots behind the Chamber of Commerce and access to park facilities for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Muskegon Lakeshore in the 2023 summer season.
The 2023-24 proposed budget was brought up by Ken Grant, the director of finance, but not yet approved by the commission and is available for the public to read at https://muskegon-mi.gov/proposed-budget-for-2023-2024/.