Road commission outlines 2025 work and 2026 federal-aid projects for Alger County

A Road Commission representative presented the commission's 2025 work and a preview of 2026 projects to the Alger County board, describing maintenance across the county’s nearly 500 miles of local roads and 112 miles of state highway. "So Road commission in Elder Counties has nearly 500 miles of local roads and maintains a 112 miles of state highway," the presenter said while listing township paving and graveling work.

The presenter reviewed last year’s busy paving schedule in Munising Township and noted local partnerships and grant-funded projects. He described a temporary fix and then a permanent repair on a bridge on Capitol Hill Road north of M-94, saying the commission "purchased a prefabricated steel from the Stratton Brothers" and placed it with a stone abutment on the far side. He provided unit approximations used for planning: "A chip seal is about $25,000 per layer," and paving about "$220,000 a mile." The presenter also noted a federal-aid package that included 1.75 miles on H-58 and a state-local bridge grant with only a 5% local match for an Allen/Johnson bridge that was bid at $1,360,000.

Board members and residents asked for clarifications about which bridge structures the Road Commission will prioritize for the federal bridge program and about routine shoulder and underdrain repairs on US-41. The presenter said MDOT has indicated it will fully fund replacement of the Kivimaki bridge pending historic-preservation design review and that the commission will apply by the April 1 deadline for bridge funding. The board did not take a separate vote on these projects during the presentation; the session functioned as an informational update and planning discussion.