Road Commission Construction and Engineering Forum
For Bloomfield Village Roads
Presentation Summary
On March 1, 2023, Bloomfield Village Association hosted an informational forum to discuss engineering and construction-related questions about the Village Roads project. Mark Meszler, Subdivision Improvement Planning Coordinator from the Road Commission of Oakland County, presented an overview of the road rebuilding and construction process, and addressed residents’ questions. The Road Commission owns our roads, developed the plan to fix them and will oversee the bidding process and the actual construction of the roads. Approximately 60 residents attended the forum.
This document summarizes the presentation and some of the Q&A discussions from the event. Clarifications or follow-ups to what was presented at the event are designated as such and shown in italics.
History of Project
· In 2018, the Village submitted “Expression of Interest” forms to the Road Commission, requesting them to prepare a plan and cost estimate to address the deteriorating Village roads. Signatures for more than 50% of households on each Village street were gathered on the Expression of Interest forms, as required.
· To develop the plan, the Road Commission:
o Surveyed and measured Village roads;
o Mapped locations of utility and drainage structures, and trees;
o Engaged a consultant to take core samples.
· Using these inputs, the project was divided into about 40 “pay items”, with units of work for each pay item defined. Each pay item has detailed specs to define scope.
· RCOC maintains a rolling database of cost information reflecting pricing on jobs bid. The cost estimates for Village roads projects price the project using cost information in the database, adjusted for anticipated inflation until planned construction.
· There are about 17 miles of roads in Bloomfield Village. Clarification – Just under 14 miles of Village roads are included in the project. Cranbrook and Covington are excluded.
· Road Commission determined 5 separate sections in the Village (colored areas per the color map).
o Each section will be a separate SAD.
o Construction in each section can be completed in one season (April to November).
o Sections were determined for efficiency in the construction process.
o Each section has ingress/egress to main roads to limit unnecessary wear and tear on other Village roads.
Construction Process
Construction on each section (if the SAD is approved) will follow the same general order:
Remove existing asphalt overlays, to expose curbs.
Remove existing curbs.
Dig new edge drains.
Put in new curbs.
Tear up and dispose of rest of existing roadway.
Add new crushed stone base.
Regrade and re-slope roadway.
Apply “leveling course” of asphalt.
Apply “tack” (which sticks the two layers of asphalt together).
Apply “wearing course” of asphalt.
Restore driveways, sprinklers, sod.
In each SAD district, crews will do the steps in smaller sub-sections. For example, step 1 will be completed in the first sub-section, crew will move on step 1 in the second sub-section while step 2 is started in the first sub-section.
Materials removed from existing roads (concrete from curbs, asphalt, stone) have to be segregated and disposed of separately.
Details on the various elements of the project are summarized below:
Edge drain
· New 4-ft-deep drainage structures placed along both sides of each street.
· Accommodates greater volume of water runoff.
· Edge drains channel water into the storm drain structures, to keep it from getting under the road bed.
· Keeping the road bed dry helps avoid road failure (which happens from the bottom up, caused by the freeze / thaw cycle).
Curbs
· Currently have 32” curb.
o Most existing curbs are buried after multiple asphalt overlays over the years.
· Will be replaced with new, concrete 24” wide (measured back to front) curbs.
o New curbs will be 3” mountable curbs with gutters.
o Curbs around cul-de-sacs will be a more rounded shape to accommodate larger vehicles driving over them. These are “B2 curbs” and gutter.
· Back (outer edge) of curbs will be approximately where the existing pavement hits the grass.
· Current assumption is that all the curbs will be removed. If there are curbs that can be reused, Road Commission will preserve those.
New road and pavement
· Existing asphalt layers are thicker than the new pavement will be (layers of overlay have been added).
o Road base will require addition of 21AA aggregate, regrading and re-sloping.
o New road will crown in the center and slope down to the curb/gutter at the edge. New crown will be noticeably steeper (3% to 4% sloping down from center of the road) than what’s in place currently.
o Steeper crown gets water off the road more efficiently, prevent icing and helps prevent standing water.
· Will lay 4-5” of new black asphalt over crushed stone.
· Full-width paving operation will be used.
o Previously, each half of a road paved separately, with a seam down the middle. This doubles paving and cooling time; also, seam can fail and allow water to seep below the road surface.
o Full-width process paves road curb-to-curb in one pass.
o Asphalt is laid, then rolled, then must cool.
· First layer of asphalt “leveling course” usually cools within the day that it’s paved. Will be able to drive on the leveling course after it cools.
· “Tack” coat is placed between the asphalt layers.
o Tack coat is sticky, permanent.
o If tack material gets on anything – cars, shoes, etc. – it will never come off.
o Residents will be advised to block off driveway when tack course is laid to keep vehicles from accessing the driveway with tack on the tires. Tack will permanently stain driveway
· Wearing course is final layer of asphalt. Vehicles will have to stay off the wearing course until fully cooled to prevent blemishes on the surface. Blemishes can come from tire rubs from turning vehicles – can’t be repaired once they occur. Will have to stay off wearing course at least a day, maybe up to 2 (road will be barricaded).
· New roadway will be slightly narrower driving space in certain areas.
· On roads with buried curbs, driving surface is currently artificially wide; the paved surface of these roads will be a bit more narrow between the new curbs.
· The elevation/height of the new road will not be significantly different than the existing road. Trying to maintain the back of the curb at the same elevation as where grass and pavement meet currently.
Storm structures
· Storm drain structures will be rehabilitated and lined.
o Storm structures, sewer are aged.
o Will rehab structures as needed.
o “Red brick” structures (original drainage structures leading down to combined sewer pipes) – some are deteriorated. Will rehab by lining the inside of the structure, to restore function and structural integrity.
· Structures on curbs will get new castings to fit new curb.
· Utility manhole covers will be replaced.
o New covers will be paved over, then contractor will cut round hole in asphalt over the cover; adjust so the cover fits properly in the road, then secure around cover with concrete.
o Hot rubber seal placed between concrete and asphalt.
o Still discussing whether to dye or leave concrete its natural color.
Post-construction restoration
· Crews will be working 2-3 feet into yards during project. Equipment will be kept in the street, not in yards.
· Overall principal – yards restored to pre-project condition.
· Once project is done, will put down topsoil and sod to replace grass.
· Contractor will maintain (water) new sod until it “takes root”, then it becomes homeowner’s responsibility.
· Sprinklers:
o Will be tested before they are removed for construction.
o Contractor’s responsibility is to move them during construction, then return them to original position and pre-project functioning.
o Contractor will ask homeowner to turn on sprinklers to verify they are working prior to start of project and at the end of project.
Sidewalks
· Sidewalks along the street not in the project; only where sidewalks meet streets.
· Sidewalk/street junctions have to meet ADA requirements.
o ADA work will take place on corners and intersections, to bring them into compliance with current ADA standards.
o Will impact sidewalk 15 feet from edge of road at corners.
o Will re-slope the sidewalk down to the road, fix drops at curbs, place new warning tiles where needed to current specs.
Driveways
· If asphalt or concrete, will remove driveway approach 3-5 feet back from road, then replace in-kind.
· Brick pavers: will remove 3-5 feet of pavers back from road, set aside, replace brick pavers afterwards.
· Driveways with “aesthetically pleasing” elements (aggregate/borders, etc.) - crews will take great care when removing and replacing curb to not disturb the driveway.
· Crews will take photos of everything before project – provides guide for required restoration.
Inspection and quality control
· RCOC designed Village roads to their (extensive) specifications, which are provided to contractors. Contractors must build all elements of the project to RCOC specs without exception.
· Materials must meet RCOC specs. Materials will be sampled. If they don’t meet specs, will be removed and replaced at contractor expense.
· RCOC inspectors will be on site daily; will ensure contractors meet specs and build as designed.
Tree removal
· Some trees will have to be removed for project. Trees to be removed are in the right of way (between sidewalk and street). Follow-up discussions with Road Commission – about 50 trees projected to be removed in blue section, 42 in pink section.
· Why is removal necessary?
o Trees are too close to street/curb (will be damaged when curb is removed/new curb laid).
o Tree location may prevent new construction.
o New construction may irreparably damage root system.
o Root systems may pose risk to new road.
· Road Commission doesn’t want to remove any more trees than are necessary for the project. Mark emphasized they will only remove trees that must be removed.
· Cost of removing trees included in the project costs. Replacement trees are not part of the project (i.e., Road Commission will not replace trees that are removed).
· Village previously engaged arborist to inventory existing trees and recommend locations for new trees. Looking at ways to help in “reforesting” Village streets after road construction completed – grant funding may be available to assist in effort.
· Road Commission owns the right of way – generally between the sidewalk and street – as well as trees in the right of way.
Resident disruption
· When roads are under construction, all residents in the vicinity will be inconvenienced to some degree, especially when the work is taking place directly in front of a resident’s house.
· During the day, will be times where residents will be delayed in access to their streets (e.g., equipment in the road will delay access). Will be flaggers on site to manage traffic flow and ensure safety.
· Emergency vehicles WILL be accommodated.
· Most significant times when access is limited/not possible will be during paving and curb laying – including time for newly-laid materials to “cure”.
· Paving: There will be no access to a street while asphalt is laid and until asphalt is cooled.
o How long it takes the asphalt to cool will depend on temperatures/weather conditions on paving operation days.
o For “leveling course”, access could be restored by the next day, but plan on 24 hours. For “wearing course,” will be 24-48 hours.
· Curbs: When new concrete curbs are laid, will not be able to drive over the new curb (i.e., will not be able to access driveway) until “7-day strength” is obtained – this generally takes 3-4 days but can take longer.
o Only one side of the street will get new curbs at a time. Residents who can’t access their driveways will be able to park on opposite side of street while curbs are laid/curing. Once curbs on the first side of the street have “cured”, curbs will be laid on the other side.
· RCOC will be very communicative throughout project, to keep residents informed and where delays might occur. There will be disruption to normal daily life.
Longevity of new roads; warranty
· Roads are designed to current specifications, reflecting the types of traffic that will travel them (i.e., taking into consideration delivery trucks, SUVs, cars, etc.).
· Materials used in road construction have improved – materials used now are better than even 5 years ago.
· New Village roads will be designed to last 30-40 years. (By contrast, the original Village roads, laid in the 60s, were designed to last 25 years.)
· Encouraged Village to speak with Bloomfield Township regarding warranty, as this is a Township SAD, not a RCOC SAD.
· Clarification: Because RCOC designs the roads, provides all the specifications to the contractor, and inspects the materials and contractor work throughout the project, the contractor does not warranty the roads.
Q&A
Questions posed by BV residents to Mark, and his responses:
Cul-de-sacs are very tight turns, especially for larger delivery/garbage trucks. Can island size be reduced?
May be reducing the size of the islands to allow easier navigation. Curbs will be designed to allow cars/trucks to roll over them.
Neighborhoods in Quarton Lake use “tar and gravel” for their streets – less expensive. Could that work for the Village?
RCOC doesn’t design roads using tar and gravel – has higher standards for road designs in neighborhoods. One drawback to tar and gravel is debris getting into storm sewers and clogging them up. Would be significant problem in the Village as our storm and sanitary sewers are combined. Road Commission doesn’t see this as a viable option.
How will disruptions to school bus routes be managed?
Road Commission with communicate with school districts so they can arrange temporary bus stops, etc. during construction process. Will be as accommodating as possible.
There is concern about speeding on newly smooth roads. Will you be introducing any traffic calming devices? How can speed issues be addressed?
RCOC has not designed any traffic calming devices. Speed humps are sometimes suggested. These require a separate petition, and Township approval. Speed humps are glued on to the surface. They create issues for plow trucks that damage/remove them, and look unsightly after a while. Also 3 warning signs are require on each side of a hump – tends to be unpopular with homeowners. Bigger issue is that people tend to go faster in between the humps, which defeats the purpose and actually results in more wear and tear on road.
If residents want to pursue other traffic control interventions (stop signs, etc.), can discuss with Road Commission Department of Citizen Services. Contact is Alex Rucinzski, 248-858-4804 to file a concern and request a call back to discuss specific traffic devices requested.
How many of the neighborhoods for which RCOC does project plans ultimately get resident approval and are completed?
Hard to say as these aren’t numbers RCOC tracks. Mark estimated 35%, give or take.
How many other residential jobs of this scale have you seen before?
Village project is the biggest residential job RCOC has ever designed.