Road Construction Updates

The Oakland County Road Commission is overseeing the construction in the Gold and Yellow sections, with a group of inspectors ensuring that the contractors are following the engineered plans and meeting the Road Commission’s specifications for each element of the project. We receive updates at least weekly from the Road Commission and Cadillac Asphalt, the primary contractor for both Gold and Yellow projects, and post that information on the Village Roads Blog. Residents in those sections will want to check the blog frequently to stay up with the latest schedule and information.

For specific questions or concerns about construction in the Gold and Yellow sections, please contact Wayne Dabroski, Project Engineer, by emailing wdabrowski@rcoc.org, with a copy to Mark Meszler at mmeszler@roadrehab.solutions. Please include your name, address and phone number if you are emailing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I have access to my driveway during road construction?

Residents will generally have access to their driveways throughout the road construction, with a few exceptions:

• When existing driveway approaches are removed. This is one of the first steps in the project, when the contractor removed the old curbs and existing driveway approaches. The contractor will provide a temporary stone approach when the existing approach is removed. However, there may be a delay of an hour or two between removal of the old approach and placement of the temporary stone approach.

• During the curbing process — During the curbing process, residents will not have access to their driveways for about 14 days. The first step in the curbing process is removal of the temporary driveway approach, which starts the clock on the 14 days. Next, Doan Construction will lay the concrete curb, followed by placement of the new driveway approach. Once these steps are complete, the concrete need to cure for about 7-10 days until it is strong enough for vehicle traffic. The contractor will place barricades at the driveway approach during the curbing process; once the concrete has reached appropriate strength, the contractor will remove the barricades, indicating it is safe for vehicle traffic on the concrete. Concrete curing times will vary depending on temperature and weather conditions. The vast majority of residents will be back in their driveways within the 14 days.

• During paving — On the days the contractor is paving a road, it will be closed to all traffic and parking. Residents will not have access to their driveways (for ingress or egress) during this process. Paving will take place in two layers, separated by a period of time. During each layer of paving, the road will be closed.

• Throughout the construction process, there may be times when construction equipment or operations are blocking access to a specific driveway. These will usually be short time periods. Residents should politely inquire whether the contractor can move aside to allow the vehicle to get into or out of the driveway. If the contractor can accommodate the request, they will do so.

Residents will receive advance notification when driveway access is restricted for curbing and paving. Blog posts providing construction updates are posted on the blog, usually weekly, to inform residents of where the contractors will be working. See blog HERE. In addition, Cadillac will post notices on the front doors of impacted residents about 48 hours in advance of driveway access being restricted for curbing or paving.

Will my street be closed during construction?

Village streets will generally be open to traffic during the construction, with a few exceptions:

• During the paving process —- During paving, the streets will be closed to all traffic. Residents will not be able to get into or out of their driveways during this time. The paving will be done in two layers (referred to as “courses”). The first course - the “leveling course” — usually involves the street being closed to traffic for about 1-1.5 days. The contractor will open the street to traffic as soon as the asphalt has sufficiently cooled and set. The second course — the “wearing course” — might involve the street being closed a bit longer, to minimize cosmetic marks that can occur on the surface when the asphalt is freshly laid.

• It is possible the contractor may request a street to be closed once the final grading is done on the day prior to the first course of asphalt. This occurred on a couple of streets in the Pink section.

• For short periods of time, the contractor may block a street off to allow a particular operation to be completed or for equipment to navigate. There will be a flagger to inform drivers of the need to detour around the blockage.

Residents will be notified of street closures for planned paving operations via blog post and email. Cadillac will also place notices on front door of impacted residents, usually about 48 hours in advance of paving work. Flaggers and barricades will be placed to alert drivers to closed streets, and to protect the hot asphalt while it cools.

Importantly, during paving operations, there can be no street parking whatsoever. Vehicles will need to be removed from the street prior to 7 am on paving days. Any vehicle remaining after 7 am is subject to towing.

Paving is weather dependent - the contractor cannot pave in the rain and may opt not to pave if there is rain in the forecast. This makes paving days a bit less predictable than other construction steps.