ROAD FACTS
What is a County Road System?
County Road Commissions were organized by Act 283 by the Michigan Legislature in 1909 to achieve two primary goals: to provide uniformity in road construction and maintenance across the state; and to provide cost efficient and high quality road services for local roads. Counties and their townships have a unique relationship on the issue of road construction and maintenance. Unlike incorporated cities and villages, townships do not receive gas tax revenues for roads and therefore must rely on their county to provide nearly all road-related activities.
Townships and Road Funding
Why don't townships receive funding for roads as do cities and villages? State law specifies that cities, villages, counties, and the Michigan Department of Transportation [MDOT] have jurisdiction over roads. These agencies are responsible for constructing and maintaining the roads that fall under their jurisdiction. They also carry the legal liability for the roads. Consequently, funding for roads is provided by the state legislature only to these agencies. State law does, however, provide the option for a township to incorporate as a city or village, which would give it jurisdiction over roads within its boundaries. There is also a provision in state law which allows townships with populations of more than 40,000, to receive from their county road commission, 75 percent of the cost of maintaining the local county roads within their borders, provided they levy at least one mill for road improvement and maintenance.
How are road maintenance and improvement projects funded in Michigan townships?
Most maintenance on roads in townships is funded with dollars allocated to county road agencies by the state legislature. Most major road improvements [bridge replacements, road widening, etc.] are funded with federal monies. State road funds are distributed according to a formula established by state law. The formula provides 39.1 percent of state road funds to MDOT, 39.1 percent to county road commissions, and 21.8 percent to cities and villages. This formula was amended somewhat as part of the 4-cent gas tax increase in 1997. In that case, 100% of the first penny went directly to MDOT, while the remaining 3 cents are distributed according to the existing formula. While townships are not included in the formula, the portion going to county road commissions is intended to cover roads in townships. The reality, however, is that state road funding historically has been woefully inadequate, especially in high-population counties. How are major construction projects funded in townships? While many projects in townships are paid for with state gas tax revenues, some projects also require Federal Funds or special state grants. The county's Federal Aid Task Force, based on objective criteria selects these projects. The availability of township matching funds is not typically a consideration and would not result in more township projects.
Do townships get back as much in service as they generate in road funds?
Yes. In fact, they usually get back more. Townships, especially less populated ones, do not produce as much gas tax revenue as larger cities, although they might have a considerable number of roads for the county to maintain. To a certain degree, the services in townships are subsidized by larger communities that generate more taxes, including Detroit. Also, just to pay for the cost of routine maintenance on its secondary roads in townships, the county has to transfer large amounts of money each year out of its primary road fund. Otherwise, many services, such as gravel road grading, guard rail repair and ditch cleaning would have to be dramatically cut.
Homeowners & businesses in Barry County pay a lot of property taxes.
How much of those property taxes go to maintain and improve our roads?
Not much. Unlike most county services, road-related services receive no direct funding from property taxes. However we do contribute some property tax revenue to the improvement of our roads, but these contributions are only a fraction of the actual costs involved. The combined township contributions in Barry County on average make up 15-25% of the revenue received by the Barry County Road Commission, the other 75-85% being Michigan Transportation Funds. The primary sources of county road funding are the state gas tax and the federal gas tax, the amount and distribution of which are decided in Lansing and Washington, D.C.
Wouldn't Assyria Township be better off if we received state funding directly?
The same level of service would probably cost us more. Economies of scale allow Barry County to provide more service for the same dollars than an individual township could. That is because the county is able to buy supplies, equipment, vehicles, salt, etc., in bulk, and so, gets a better price than could an individual township. Direct funding also could cost townships other funding. Barry County participates in road improvement projects only on roads under its jurisdiction. If townships took over jurisdiction of local roads within their boundaries, it is unlikely that county funds would be used on those roads, just as they are not used on city or village roads. Having our own funding would not likely result in any additional major construction projects in Assyria Township or make the projects happen any more quickly.
When Barry County executes a project in a township, the township benefits from the county's expertise, which results in the best construction work for the conditions. If the township did the work itself, it would have to hire a consultant who may not be familiar with the township's roads needs and design criteria. County staffers, on the other hand, are Barry County's local road professionals, and work closely with township officials.
Another major factor is that liability would come with the funding.
We would receive the state road funding only if we also received jurisdiction for our roads. And the jurisdiction would bring with it the legal liability for the roads. It's no secret that, in this age of frequent litigation, liability can be costly, in terms of judgments and legal expenses. The County has the expertise to minimize potential costs.
Project Selection:
How are major improvements selected? All Barry County road improvement projects, such as resurfacing and reconstruction, are selected based on a number of criteria. The first and most important is the condition of the existing roadway. Each year an engineer rates every mile of paved county road. Roads that rate in the worst condition are automatically put at the top of the list for upcoming road repairs. Those repairs will get done as soon as funding is available. Assyria Township generally augments this cost by paying for the materials used while the County pays for everything else.
Paving Gravel Roads My residential street wasn't paved when my sub was built.
Now my neighbors and I want it paved. Will the County help?
Historically, the County has never been in the business of building anything other than the major roads that connect its communities, not local streets. If a street was not paved when the homes were built, it was a decision of the developer and those who chose to live on a gravel road. Many people still prefer that option.
What about the primary roads that are still unpaved?
What's the County doing about those? The decision whether or not to pave a gravel road is based upon existing or projected traffic volumes, accident data and most importantly, available funding. The County's priority for spending road dollars favors more heavily traveled roads that create effective transportation corridors to connect communities. If a township, however, is willing to pay a substantial portion of a paving project that does not meet the criteria for County funding, the County will work with the township to help make it happen.
Gravel Road Maintenance
Grading & Dust Control Unpaved roads require a great deal of year-round maintenance. Crews constantly have to grade roads to eliminate ruts caused by vehicles. During the summer months, townships may purchase a calcium chloride spraying service through the Barry County Road Commission. The BCRC will facilitate the hiring of a contractor to spray the roads with calcium chloride to keep dust down. The BCRC also works out the mapping and scheduling and grading. In this way townships gain the advantage provided by the economy of scale.
County crews perform various levels of grading, depending on road and weather conditions. If the road is very dry or wet, effective grading cannot be done, so crews will smooth out the roads as best they can and return when conditions permit full-scale grading.
Stabilizing muddy roads When the spring thaw comes, many gravel roads turn muddy and become difficult to travel. This is a result of moisture that has accumulated in the ground over the course of the winter. If it thaws too quickly, the water can't drain well and vehicles churn it in with the dirt to create a slick mud. When this occurs, county crews dump large-stone gravel by the truckload and spread it to make the road passable. Once things dry out a bit, crews return to smooth the road out with a grader.
Ditches:
Ditch clearing also takes place constantly between spring and fall. The County also is responsible for clearing culverts and cross tiles where drains run below its roads. Keeping ditches and culverts clear helps reduce flooding, which can cause poor road conditions.
Individual homeowners can play an important role in keeping ditches and drains clear by minimizing obstructions such as leaves.
Snow & Ice During the winter, gravel roads are treated a bit differently than paved roads. While both are still plowed, gravel roads are not treated with salt. Instead, they are treated with a sand – salt mixture (6 parts sand to 1 part salt). The reason is because if more salt were to be used then there would be a risk to thawing the roadbed, this would result in muddy and dangerous conditions for travel. Paved roads are treated with a variety of sand – salt mixtures along with straight salt, as conditions warrant.
Roads with the highest speed limits and traffic volume typically have the highest priority. However, the Barry County Road Commission needs to maintain efficiency. Drivers have set plowing routes that they follow to get as many roads cleared as possible.
Mailbox issues I have a mail box out by the road. What happens if it gets damaged by the heavy snow being thrown by a county plow. Will the county fix or replace it?
The first thing to keep in mind about roadside mailboxes is that they are located in the County's road right-of-way.
It is the policy of the Barry County Road Commission to replace or reimburse residents $20.00 for destroyed mailboxes that were actually struck by Road Commission equipment, even though by law, the BCRC has no legal responsibility to do so. A representative of the BCRC shall inspect each site reported to the Barry County Road Commission to determine if the mailbox was actually struck by a Road Commission Vehicle.
If the resident would like the box replaced, it will be replaced with a standard sixe U.S. Postal Service mailbox. The mailbox will be replaced when weather and other Road Commission operations permit. Otherwise the resident has the option of reimbursement.
Speed Limits:
How are speed limits set on our roads? And why do some gravel roads have no posted speed limit?
While it is the Michigan State Police that formally set speed limits, it actually is motorists like you who establish the speed the State Police eventually adopt. Here's how:
Before a road is first paved, there is no posted speed limit; it is actually what's known as a prima facie speed limit of 55 mph [or lower as road and weather conditions warrant]. The reason for this is because it is more difficult to guarantee the condition of a gravel road will consistently be suitable to justify a certain limit. Once the road is paved, county traffic engineers conduct studies to see at what speed motorists naturally drive. It is a basic engineering principle that most motorists will drive at a speed that is reasonable and safe, and that forcing them to drive faster or slower reduces safety. Based on this principle, engineers, and the State Police follow the 85th Percentile rule, meaning that whatever speed at least 85 percent of motorists drive on this new road should be the posted limit. If, for example, 85 percent of motorists drive at or less than 46 mph, the speed limit the County will recommend to the State Police would be 45 mph.
What about the placement of traffic signs and signals? Who's responsible for them?
On any county road in townships other than state trunk-lines, the Barry County Road Commission is responsible for signs and signals. Engineers rely on the Michigan Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices to guide them in the often difficult decisions they have to make each day.
How much are typical road improvement costs?
Barry County Road Commission road improvement costs
Apply 3” x 22’ wide of gravel to one mile of road = $17,962 Slag Seal 1 mile of 22’ wide paved road = $14,000 1 ½” Asphalt overlay on 1 mile of 22’ wide paved road = $46,600 2” Asphalt overlay on 1 mile of 22’ wide paved road = $59,120 Clear, grade, and hard surface 1 mile of gravel road = $300,000 to $400,000
Click on the link below to access the Barry County Road Commission and links to other information about roads in Michigan.
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Lyman J. Briggs
Lyman James Briggs was born on May 7, 1874, on a farm in Assyria Township, Michigan. Lyman Briggs School is named after this distinguished scientist, administrator, and writer. Dr. Briggs entered Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University) by examination in 1889 at the age of fifteen. Although he majored in agriculture, his interest centered on mechanical engineering and later physics. He received his B.S. degree in 1893. After leaving Michigan Agricultural College, Lyman Briggs entered Johns Hopkins University for further graduate study in the Ph.D. program in physics.
In June of 1898, Dr. Briggs joined the Department of Agriculture and began his nearly 60 years of government service. While working with the Department of Agriculture, he developed a method of soil classification known as the moisture equivalent, which is still a standard technique in testing soils.
During World War I, Dr. Briggs was detailed to work for the Bureau of Standards on a special stable zenith instrument that greatly improved the accuracy of the Navy's guns. Later he was a co-inventor of the earth inductor compass, which guided Lindbergh on his first trans-Atlantic flight.
Dr. Briggs was appointed Director of the Bureau of Standards in 1933. In 1939, President Roosevelt called on Dr. Briggs. He was asked to head a top-secret project to investigate the possibility of utilizing energy from the atomic fission of uranium. Although detailed information about this group remains classified, the committee's expanded responsibilities led to the Manhattan Project, which later developed the Atom bomb.
Much of the groundwork on the methods of purification of uranium, establishment of specific properties, and separation of isotopes of uranium was accomplished at the National Bureau of Standards under the direction of Lyman Briggs. As a member of National Advisory Committee of Aeronautics, Dr. Briggs conducted research in aerodynamics and flow around air foils, which had application in the design of aircraft propellers. He also headed the instrument work in connection with two historic stratospheric balloon launchings. The balloon Explorer II instruments which Dr. Briggs helped to design reached world record altitudes.
Although Dr. Briggs was primarily known as a distinguished scientist, more
than that, contemporaries knew him as a warm and modest human being. At the
time of Dr. Briggs' death in April of 1963, he held honorary doctorates from
Michigan State University, George Washington, Georgetown and Columbia
Universities, and the University of Michigan.