News photo by Josh Jambor This photo is from repairs to a state highway during road construction season last year.

ALPENA – For local road repairs that involve more than resurfacing, there is a program that involves statewide planning and project implementation to get large local road projects funded.

James Lake, Communications Specialist, North Region, for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) discussed the program.

“For reconstruction and rebuilding projects, we plan up to five years ahead,” Lake said. “We determine projects and timing in our Five-Year Transportation Program in a rolling plan, adding a year each year, which we publish online.”

Currently, there are no major road construction projects planned for the Alpena area., Lake said.

“We don’t have any major projects planned for the Alpena area in the current plan,” Lake said. “We plan what we call capital preventative maintenance projects on a shorter schedule, about a year in advance.”

Although nothing major is planned for road repairs, one area has been repeatedly mentioned in complaints, the pavement on the Thunder Bay Bridge on US-23 and Chisholm Street.

“The one area of concern I’m aware of is pavement deterioration at the Thunder Bay River bridge on Chisholm Street in Alpena,” Lake said.. “We are planning to make proper concrete patches later this year when weather allows and then seal the bridge deck with epoxy to prevent further water infiltration.”

As far as funding for these projects is concerned, in October of last year, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer approved a new transportation funding package. There is also a federal fuel tax, and fees for registering your vehicle in which a portion of the proceeds is scheduled to go to state, county, and local roads.

“Funds for repairing and rebuilding Michigan state highways come from three primary sources,” Lake said. “The federal fuel tax, state fuel tax, and vehicle registration fees,” Lake said. “We do have funding that we use to maintain our roads and fix potholes, as well as make more significant repairs through planned projects.”

As the season changes to spring, so does the focus for MDOT maintenance crews and contractors tasked with fixing and repairing the area’s roads.

“As winter begins to turn to spring, our focus for our MDOT maintenance forces, and the agencies we contract with to maintain state highways, will shift from plowing and salting to what we call non-winter maintenance, which includes pothole patching,” Lake explained.

A list of routes will be created for local road repairs, that list has not been formulated as of yet.

“We are developing a list of routes for crack sealing this season, but it has not yet been finalized,” Lake said.

There is a pothole reporting system maintained by MDOT where people can report potholes by filling out a form online or by leaving a voicemail with a location.