List provides details about potential E.L. road projects

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Harrison Avenue is one of several area roads that could get a new look if East Lansing receives some of the more than $35 
million worth of projects it has applied for as part of the economic stimulus package.

The city is among more than 130 communities that have submitted to the Michigan Municipal League a list of potential projects that could be completed with stimulus funding. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the stimulus package into law today.

The stretch of Harrison Avenue from Mount Hope Road to Kalamazoo Street is slated for a $1.75 million renovation and would start within months if approved.

“Just based on the road’s condition, we feel it needs to be redone,” said Todd Sneathen, director of public works for East Lansing. “We plan basically five years ahead of time and are ready to go with it.”

The working list of projects compiled by the Michigan Municipal League, or MML, totals more than $3 billion, and continues to grow as communities submit proposals. The amount already is more than the state can provide, but the list is in the process of being reviewed, said Liz Boyd, spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The governor’s office will issue a statement later this week outlining which projects are selected, Boyd said.

Michigan is expected to receive $4.6 billion from the stimulus package, but only $1.2 billion of that has been designated for infrastructure spending.

“Communities, in many incidents, have many projects that are a higher priority on their lists, and I’ve passed that along to the Granholm administration,” said Arnold Weinfeld, MML Director of Public Policy and Federal Affairs.

Road projects usually last 10 to 20 years before needing more work, said Thomas Maleck, university traffic engineer and associate professor of civil engineering.

“Normally the biggest problem with road construction projects is maintaining services to the people who normally use the road,” Maleck said. Projects that were submitted to consideration to receive stimulus funding are included in programs that already exist, such as road reconstruction, energy and sewer upgrades.

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