The Cass County Road Commission’s 2010 paving season is under way with 85 projects totaling $2.8 million to be completed by the third week of September.

The work on 63 miles of roadway includes asphalting of 42 miles, chip and seal work over 16 miles, and re-graveling of five miles of unpaved road, the latter which is in Porter Township.

Forty percent of the work is on primary roads. The $2.8 million represents a combination of Michigan Department of Transportation funds, federal dollars, and revenues from the townships. The road commission receives no funding from Cass County for its 1,015 miles of roadway.

Included in the total miles of summer work is seven miles that is funded entirely by the Michigan Department of Transportation for the use of county roads while MDOT reconstructs sections of M-60 and U.S. 12 within the county.

The Cass County Road Commission is one of only three in the state that manufactures its own asphalt, making paving more economical. Additionally, road commission operates its own gravel pit where rock is mined and crushed into usable road gravel. The gravel is used not only for the manufacture of asphalt but also for shoulder material and for gravel road beds.

Additionally this summer, the road commission has increased its activity for removal of brush and trees along roadways and this fall will implement a spraying program for longer term control of brush and trees.

The road projects underway in the county are:

Resurfacing of Township Roads
Harvey Street ( from Robbins Lake Road E 0.09 mi); Runkle Street (from Beebe Road E 0.63 mi); Marshlyn Drive (Janellen Drive to Kristine Drive); Kristine Drive (Marshlyn Drive to Carberry Road); Alane Street (Alman Street to Center Avenue) Smith and Elanor streets (Huntly Road to Huntly Road); Kelsey Lake Street (from Decatur Street E 0.50 mi); Gards Prairie Road  (Allegheny Street to Hoffman Street); Wayne Street (Baldwin Prairie Road to Hilltop Drive);  Wayne Street (Hilltop Drive east to the joint in the asphalt); Teasdale Lake Street (from Birch Road east .68 mi); Harvey Street (Walnut Road to Birch Road) Corwin Street (M-51 to  Green Lake Road); Cornell Avenue (72nd Street to Lake Shore Drive); Rudy Road (Dowagiac City Limit to a joint in the asphalt); Lakeview Drive (Twin Shores plat to Arnold Avenue); Wayne Township parking lot; Eagle Lake Road (May Street to U.S. Highway 12);  Raymond Avenue (Elkhart Road to Beach Drive); Brady Road (U.S. Highway 12 to South Shore Drive); C Avenue (Eighth Street to Brady Road); Elm Street (Red Mill Road to M-51); Hess Road (Pine Lake Street to the end of Hess); Kessington Road (from the joint in the asphalt to Mason Street); Tharp Lake Road (Mason Street 0.50 mile);  Christiana Lake Road  (Mason Street to Spanish Terrace); Peavine Street (Wilbur Hill Road to Dailey Road); Oak Grove Road (Pokagon Highway to Kingsbury Street), and  Spencer Road (Cassopolis village limits to Osborn Street).

Federal resurface projects
Marcellus Highway (Glenwood Road west 0.34 mi); Indian Lake Road (School Street to Middle Crossing Street); Conrad Road (May Street to U.S. 12); Redfield Street (Ebersole Road to Adamsville Road); Calvin Center Road (U.S. Highway 12 to Starbrick Street); Calvin Center Road (Northrop Street South 0.75 mile); Calvin Center Road (Northrop Street to Jeffries Street); Hospital Street (Mullen Road to M-62); Pokagon Highway (Old Mill Road to Dailey Road); Dailey Road (Pine Lake Street to Coulter Street); Elkhart Road (May Street to Edwardsburg village limits); Decatur Road (Marcellus Highway South); Fox Street (Slipper Road to Decatur Road); Marcellus Highway (Goodenough east 0.7 mi); Bell Road (Berrien County Line to U.S. Highway 12);  Lake Shore Drive (Fisk Street to Barron Lake Road), and Gumwood Road (Michigan State Line to Redfield Street).

Other paving projects
Uneta Street (City of Dowagiac); Arthur Dodd Memorial Park parking lot; South Street (Marble Street to Map Street); Maple Street (M-60 South to Bogue Street); Camplite Street (M-60 to Bogue Street); Mulberry Street (Wood Street to Mill Street), and Wood Street (Walnut Street to Maple Street).

Chip and seal projects
Brush Road (Michigan State Line to U.S. Highway 12); Flanders Street (Marcellus Highway to Twin Lakes Road); School Street (Brush Lake Road to Indian Lake Road); Downey Street (Brosnan Road to M-51); Leach Road (Topash Street to Downey Street); Red Mill
Road (Elm Street to M-152);  Dewey Lake Street (M-51 to Glenwood Road); Dixon Street and Garret Road (Indian Lake Road to M-152); Redfield Street (Adamsville Road to the Mason Township Line); Ironwood Road (Redfield Street to Bell Street); Kingsbury
Kingsbury Street (Oak Grove Road to M-62), and California Road (Frost Street to M-62)

Gravel projects
Bellows Road (Sweet Road to U.S. Highway 12); Guyer Street (Mason Township Line to Union Road), and Lewis Lake Road (Brownsville Street to Monkey Run Road) and Shannon Street (east of Burlington Road).