Case Study: Livonia’s Roadway TLC

(MPR photo/Chris Welsch)

Once the building boom slowed in Baldwin Township, residents found themselves with a swelled population, more than 100 new housing developments, and 80 miles of roads to maintain. The question of how to keep the roads from falling into ruin has been hotly debated.

Livonia, the township just to Baldwin's south, experienced growth as well, and happens also to have 80 miles of roads. But while Baldwin spent around $480,000 last year for maintenance and repairs, Livonia spent quite a lot more, $750,000.

Some might call that crazy. Don Sherper, chair of the Livonia town board, calls it common sense. "The key is to maintain the roads in a good condition for as long as you can and be careful so they don't all go to pot at once," he says. "Because then you really have a problem."

The township has adopted an aggressive program with the goal of stretching the life of its roads from the more typical 20 years to as many as 40 or 60 years. First, it established standards for road construction. "If a developer comes in and puts up a road, it has to be up to township standards or we won't accept it," says Sherper.

He says the town requires a two-layer system. "We like to see the first layer put down and go through one freeze and frost cycle, and then put the second lift on. That way, any poor spots or sub-surface problems might pop up and you will catch them."

If a road starts to fall apart within three years, the developer has to come back and fix it. "This is the only township I know of that has a three-year warranty on its roads," says Sherper. The arrangement is backed by a letter of credit from the developer.

Once the roads are built, the town engages in intensive maintenance, a system of close monitoring and regular repairs. "Each year we have a road tour to evaluate the conditions of the roadways," says Sherper. "Every two years, we have a road rating report with the township engineer. We go over every road."

"You can postpone the reclaiming of a road if you do certain things like crack sealing and maybe chip sealing within a certain period of time," Sherper adds. "And you delay the major expense of reclaiming the road, grinding it up and repaving it. That's the major cost. And that is what you want to prevent. That's what hopefully our capitol improvement plan helps us do."

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