Local residents can expect to see a lot more orange construction cones popping up across Dowagiac roadways this summer, as leaders approved a number of paving measures this week.

The Dowagiac City Council approved a contract with Rieth-Riley Construction Company Inc., of Benton Harbor, for resurfacing work for nearly a dozen local streets in the coming weeks. The firm submitted a bid of $85,252 for the work, the lowest of the three the city received for the upcoming construction last month.

Roads slated for resurfacing work this summer include:

• Ashland Street, from Johnson Street to Cherry Street

• Clyborn Street, from Helena Street to McCleary Street

• Green Street, from West Telegraph Street to 506 Green St.

• Hendryx Street, from Michigan Avenue to west side of 109 Hendryx St.

• West High Street, from South Lowe Street to 503 W. High St.

• Marcellus Highway, from Colby Street to east side of Nubour Street

• McMaster Street, from Florence Street to Louise Avenue

• Paris Street, from First Avenue to Jefferson Street

• Sheldon Street, from North Front Street to McOmber Street

• South Street, from Cass Avenue to Clinton Street

• Third Avenue, from Paris Street to 406 Third Ave.

Work is expected to begin in late May or early June. The city will alert locals to roadways that will be under construction several days in advance through its Facebook page, facebook.com/dowagiacmichigan.

The work is part of an annual series of repairs the city makes to a number of public roadways.

“We do it primarily on a need basis: where the worst potholes are and where the highest traffic is,” said City Manager Kevin Anderson during his remarks to the council Monday. “We also try to be pretty sensitive to moving around throughout the city, to make sure we hit the worst streets in each of the wards.”

The city will also check any sewer lines underneath the affected roadways prior to the paving work, repairing any damages before the new pavement is installed.

The council also took action on another road repair project that has been in the works for more than a year, passing a resolution allowing Anderson to sign documents for state and federal grant money to resurface Depot Drive. The city leaders authorized the city to apply for the grant dollars as part of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Small Urban Area Task Force last April, with MDOT officials putting together the project in the subsequent months.

Anderson could not give a definitive start date for the paving, as the state will still have to finalize contracts on its end. However, the project should begin sometime this summer.