HANCOCK/CALUMET -- Construction on US-41 began Monday. MDOT is resurfacing the nine-mile stretch of road from Hancock to Calumet.
“The current condition of the road is a fair surface at this point. We’re resurfacing a single course overlay on it to extend the life of the pavement in order to catch it before it gets to a real bad condition,” said Al Anderson, MDOT engineer.
MDOT says the resurfacing project will extend the life of the existing road for another seven to ten years, and the project will help prevent any major or expensive reconstruction of the road's surface in the future.
“There’s a portion of this that will actually be milled and resurfaced on the Calumet end of it, and the remainder will be overlaid with an inch and a half of asphalt,” Anderson said.
Ten to 15 workers will be on site during this resurfacing project.
The average speed limit from Hancock to Calumet is 55 miles per hour, but with the ongoing construction, the speed limit has been reduced to 45 miles per hour. MDOT officials want to remind drivers to slow down and pay attention because if you injure or kill a worker, you could face up to 15 years in jail and $7500 in fines.
Drivers could also face up to 10 minute delays, so MDOT says motorists should plan accordingly.
“Well my feeling on this construction job is that it’s about time we have it done because we need it. It’s not bad now, but if we keep up on [the construction] then it’ll stay good,” said Glen Oja, motorist.
MDOT says the resurfacing project will most likely be completed by the end of June.
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