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Council presses Consumers Energy over road damage from gas-main work; staff says city has limited control
Summary
Council members and residents said Consumers Energy’s gas-main replacement work has left several local roads damaged and disrupted businesses. City staff said they meet regularly with the utility but have limited authority to stop directional-drilling operations; a council member urged possible escalation to the Public Service Commission.
Burton City Council members raised complaints about damage and traffic disruptions from Consumers Energy’s gas-main work on Center Road, Bristol Road and other corridors, and asked city staff to press the utility for better repairs.
The concern matters because repeated utility trenching and temporary patches can accelerate pavement deterioration after recent city paving projects, potentially shifting repair costs to the city and motorists.
Councilman Heffner said the utility work has “destroyed our road” in places and pushed the city toward recurring maintenance costs. Heffner told the council, “We don't have to accept a bumpy road back though,” while urging staff to demand higher restoration standards.
City staff, represented at the meeting by Mr. Abbe, said the repairs are difficult to control when utilities perform directional drilling and must place pits and temporary patches to locate underground leads. “It's an ongoing issue. We stay on it,” Abbe said, adding that the city holds regular meetings with Consumers Energy staff and continues to press restoration standards.
Council members and a business-owner representative said local businesses suffered during paving and subsequent utility work. One council member advised that complaints to the state Public Service Commission can prompt the utility to step up response and repairs.
Council members cited large past paving investments for road sections (one councilor referenced roughly $3,400,000 for work from Lippincott to Atherton) and asked whether the city can force full-lane replacements instead of temporary patches. City staff acknowledged the city can insist on better restoration quality but said coordination with the utility’s project timing and methods is challenging.
Councilors also raised an ongoing problem with mud and truck runoff at Country Oaks on Dort Highway near Atherton Road; staff said they will follow up with enforcement and consider gravel-mat or other erosion-control measures.
No formal motions or votes were taken at this meeting specifically to compel Consumers Energy to change its work methods; staff reported continued engagement, periodic meetings with the utility and site inspections. Council members said they would pursue further escalation if repairs do not meet the city’s restoration standards.
