Construction of a Detroit Water & Sewer Department transmission line through parts of Orion Township is on a fast track, and the timing has some township officials upset.
Phase 2 of the project will involve the southwest corner of the township and construction is scheduled to begin as early as next February.
A 72? diameter pre-stressed concrete pipe will run through Orion along parts of Joslyn, Judah, Baldwin, Morgan and Rohr Roads (see inset).
‘It’s a very accelerated design schedule,? said Kristofer Enlow, one of the township’s engineers from Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment, Inc.
Enlow gave a brief review, from a meeting with DWSD and the Road Commission of Oakland County from mid-June, during a recent township board meeting.
‘Basically, they updated us on the project schedule,? Enlow said. The construction plans are very close to being completed. They anticipate gaining their permits from the county and also from the state in August. They will go out for bid and have public information meetings in the fall.?
Enlow said one of those meetings is scheduled to take place in Orion and will be open to all residents.
He added that a condition stipulated by the road commission calls for only one township road to be under construction at a time.
Construction on the entire project is slated to run through 2011.
Clerk Jill Bastian expressed concern over the plans and wondered why the township was not notified prior to this spring.
‘We were not asked, we were told about this project,? Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk responded. ‘Sometimes we don’t have any choice in the matter.?
‘They’re not bending on this,? he added, saying Judah Road will be paved and Morgan Road will be repaved as a result of the project.
The project will tie-in to the 96? main, which is also scheduled to run through Orion Township.
The board passed a resolution on July 21 for the 72? main project, similar to one they’ve previously passed for the 96? main, according to Dywasuk.
‘Orion is kind of the dividing line between the two projects,? Enlow said. ‘Both projects are going to be done simultaneously.?
Enlow said DWSD indicated that the route for the 72? main through the township is more cost-effective than a route along I-75 because of two overpass/underpass bridges, natural wetlands and a railroad crossing on that path.
There were concerns raised by both township officials and residents, some of which were answered by DWSD.
Since the water main is down the center of the road, Enlow noted trees were not expected to be cut down, except for about 40 along Judah.
Among other things, a high-pressure gas main, at Baldwin and Morgan, will have to be lowered, at DWSD’s expense, according to Building Official Tom Berger.
Dywasuk added that the paving of Judah Road is valued at over $1 million and won’t cost the township a dime.
‘This is a huge project and we need to look at other projects at the same time,? Trustee Neal Porter said. ‘Perhaps we want to make other improvements and get a little more bang for our buck.?
Trustee Matt Gibb suggested that the township be ‘pro-active? when it comes to the project and the proposed Baldwin Road widening project.
‘Let’s extend the boulevard at least up to Judah,? Trustee John Steimel added. ‘I know it’s not much. But we know it’s going to happen pretty fast, so we need to get on the ball.?
Look for more on this story in upcoming editions of The Review.
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DWSD 72? main route
Joslyn Road: from Brown to Judah
Judah Road: from Joslyn to Baldwin
Baldwin Road: from Judah to Morgan
Morgan Road: from Baldwin to Rohr
Rohr Road: from Morgan to I-75
I-75: from Rohr to the township line
*Above alignments may change depending on the agencies with jurisdiction over the right-of-way (RCOC and MDOT)