2023 Construction Season
2023 Construction Season
It is "orange barrel season" once again, and Kent County Road Commission will continue a “mix of fixes” approach to pavement management throughout the 2023 construction season. Encompassing nearly 2,000 miles of roads and 166 bridges throughout 21 townships, the KCRC network is diverse. Its corridors include both paved and unpaved roadways, connecting agricultural and rural regions to highly populated urban areas. As always, KCRC’s primary focus is to safely and efficiently manage these roadways through proper improvements, preservation, and maintenance of the county road network.
Mix-of-Fixes Approach
KCRC's “mix of fixes” approach to pavement management combines different improvement and maintenance activities to address the varying needs of roads of different ages and conditions. This approach is based on an objective assessment of conditions, which is then used to determine the recommended course of action for the given road.
Improvements typically fall into one of three categories: reconstruction, resurfacing or preservation.
- Reconstruction: The most extensive improvement; the surface is replaced, and many times the supporting substructure is improved as well.
- Resurfacing: The replacement of the existing, deteriorated surface layer of the road or the overlay of a new surface over the existing pavement surface to extend the service life of the road and, in some cases, improve its load-carrying capacity. These treatments are less costly than total reconstruction but more costly than pavement preservation.
- Pavement preservation: The application of less than 1.5 inches of material over an existing surface to extend its service life. These preservation treatments help protect the roadway surface from the deteriorating effects of sunlight and moisture. Spot milling, crack sealing and other preventive maintenance efforts may be used in advance to restore the condition of the current surface before the treatment is applied.
Primary Roads
"Primary roads" are typically defined as the county's longer-distance, high-volume roads. KCRC plans to improve over 190 lane miles of these types of roads in 2023. This includes nearly 50 lane miles of reconstruction, 20 lane miles of resurfacing and over 120 lane miles of preservation.
Local Roads
"Local roads" are generally the county's two-lane collector roads and neighborhood streets. This year's budget also demonstrates a sizeable investment in local roads, for which road improvements are cost-shared with the townships. In 2023, nearly 190 lane miles of reconstruction, resurfacing and preservation projects are planned, with more anticipated to be scheduled as the season progresses.
ARPA Funding
KCRC was awarded $8.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars by the Kent County Board of Commissioners. This funding will generate approximately $17.4 million in total road improvements over the 2023 and 2024 construction seasons when combined with KCRC and township investment. In 2023, for example, $1.5 million will fund 50 percent of the reconstruction on 10 Mile Road from Pine Island Drive to Algoma Avenue, which begins April 3.
KCRC Projects Begin April 3
As stated, 2023 construction begins April 3 with improvement projects on 10 Mile Road and Cascade Road. Click the project name to be directed to more information.