Macomb County approves 2025 road contracts, launches subdivision preservation program

The Macomb County Board of Commissioners on a unanimous vote approved a set of contracts and cost-share agreements on its consent agenda Tuesday that fund the county’s 2025 pavement-preservation and related roadway programs and establish a new subdivision preservation program for local residential streets.

The measures, taken as a single consent package for items A through P (item Q was removed), included a guardrail replacement contract, large hot-mix-asphalt and concrete paving contracts, longitudinal pavement marking work, two Sterling Heights cost-share agreements (one amended to add water-main work) and a newly created subdivision preservation program. Commissioner Gautz moved the combined approval; Commissioner Lucido supported it. The motion passed 12–0.

The subdivision preservation program was highlighted by county road staff as a lower-cost, shorter-lived fix intended for neighborhood streets that have deteriorated but are not yet candidates for full reconstruction. “It’s a fix that is not long standing and you’re not going to get 15, 20 years out of it,” said Brian (last name not specified), a presenter with the Macomb County Department of Roads. He said the county will subsidize 75% of the work with the community covering 25%.

Key items summarized from the agenda and discussion

- Guardrail safety contract: a contract with RMD Holdings/Nationwide Construction Group for the county’s 2025 Guardrail Safety Project in the amount listed on the agenda as $205,419.

- Hot mix asphalt paving (2025 pavement preservation program): the agenda listed a contract for Ajax Paving Industries described as the HMA program. The meeting record shows a figure of $40,008,887.67 for that item; that number appears in the meeting materials and audio but may reflect transcription or formatting errors in the record. The county described this as the annual HMA preservation program funded from Department of Roads program budgets.

- Concrete paving (2025 pavement preservation, concrete program): a listed contract with Ciparoni Contracting Inc. for $3,298,020.53, described as an annual Department of Roads-funded program.

- Longitudinal pavement markings: a contract with P.K. Contracting for the county’s 2025 longitudinal pavement marking work; presented as an annual Department of Roads program to refresh markings across the county.

- Sterling Heights cost-share (Mound to Utica Road rehabilitation): the agenda lists a rehabilitation project of about 18 miles from Mound to Utica with a total cost shown as $3,936,000. County staff said this is a 50/50 local agency project with Sterling Heights, with the exception of nonparticipating items (the added water-main work would be 100% Sterling Heights). Commissioners asked whether a bridge removal/rebuild on 18 Mile Road between Mound and Van Dyke would affect the project; Brian said the bridge work has been planned as part of the roadway project and the agencies are coordinating construction to limit impacts.

- Shana Road Bridge over the Red Run Drain (Sterling Heights): listed total cost $5,439,430. County staff described this as a federally funded bridge project with an 80% federal share and the remaining cost split between the county and Sterling Heights.

- Subdivision preservation program: described by county staff as a new, lower-cost overlay option intended for deteriorated subdivision streets. The typical treatment described is a single-course, two-inch overlay applied to two-lane roadways with shoulders. Staff said the county’s share for these projects will generally be 75%, with communities paying 25%. Staff cautioned this is a shorter-term improvement rather than a full reconstruction: “It’s not an end-all, be-all fix, but it definitely helps the problem in the short term,” Brian said. Chesterfield Township, Clinton Township and Shelby Township were listed among participating jurisdictions with multiple neighborhood streets identified (examples include Telstar Street, Sugar Bush Road, Fear Street, Hilldale Subdivision and Vineyard Avenue).

- Item 6P: a cost-share agreement at no cost to the county to update operations and maintenance responsibilities for an existing traffic device after a change in private ownership.

Commissioners’ questions during the discussion focused on project coordination and local impacts. Commissioner Van Sickler asked whether the 18 Mile Road bridge closure would delay the roadway work; Brian said the bridge removal was planned in conjunction with the roadway project so crews would coordinate and minimize schedule conflicts. Commissioners also raised the potential effect of construction on local events such as Sterlingfest; staff said they will coordinate with the community and aim to minimize disruption.

Why it matters

The package funds routine and recurring preservation activities that affect travel safety and daily commutes across Macomb County and establishes a new funding option intended to allow municipalities to rehabilitate neighborhood streets without triggering full special-assessment reconstructions. The county’s choice to subsidize a larger share of these limited overlays is intended to increase the number of subdivision streets that can be resurfaced in the short term.

What’s next

Most items in the package were presented as Department of Roads annual programs and will move into contracting and construction schedules over 2025. Commission action approved the agreements as presented; staff said they will continue coordinating schedules and communication with municipalities and event planners on impacted corridors.