Road Construction Guide

Rotomilling and resurfacing extends the road life and prevents costlier reconstruction. During construction, the contractors will:

• Upgrade sidewalks and ramps for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance
• Use a milling machine. This removes and grinds the road surface. Rotomilling is noisy but only lasts about one day per phase
• Adjust manholes to be level with the road
• Pave the road with one or more layers of asphalt
• Restore disturbed areas with grass

We make sure local and emergency access is maintained.

For most rehabilitation projects, traffic will continue in both directions. For some projects we maintain traffic flow by limiting left turns. Sometimes we limit the road to one-way traffic only. Only rarely do we close a road.  

There's no parking within the project area from 7 AM to 7 PM. This ensures that contractors complete projects quickly. The contractor will place no parking signs by the curb before construction begins. We notify residents about these parking restrictions 1 to 2 days beforehand.

Contractors may replace some drive approaches and sidewalks. This work takes about 5 - 7 days. If this affects your driveway, you may not have access to it during that time. The contractor will coordinate with you in advance.

The contractor will work with affected businesses. They may replace half of the driveway approach at a time to maintain driveway access.

You may not have access to your driveway for 30 minutes to two hours while the contractor works in front of it or on it. 

Sidewalk and drive approach work may disturb the parkway (the area between the curb and sidewalk).  Should this happen, this area will be restored with grass.

Make sure to remove plants, landscaping, etc. you want to save before the start of construction. If you have a sprinkler system in the parkway,  mark sprinkler heads with flags, sticks, or spray paint. The contractor will repair broken sprinklers and lay grass seed if needed.

The Forestry Division may plant new trees after project completion. 

We encourage you to water the area to nurture healthy grass. Check out the grass and lawn care section of this guide. 

Recycling and trash collection isn't affected by construction projects. Make sure to put your bins in their normal spots the night before collection day. We may miss your bins if you don't put them out the night before. If we can't access the street due to the construction, the contractor will move the bins to where they can be emptied and then return the bins to their spots. 

Mail delivery also continues as normal.

There are things you can do to limit the effects of construction on your business. We work with contractors to do our best to resolve any issues that may come up. Completing a construction project efficiently is in everyone's best interest. Keep in mind that after construction is done, the roads surrounding your business are likely to be construction free for years. Read below for tips for preserving your business during construction.

Before construction

• Attend construction project meetings
• Ask other businesses what they did to effectively maintain business during construction
• Help build a communication strategy with neighborhood or business organizations
• Talk to us. Let us know what your business needs are to keep customer access, deliveries and other requests in consideration
• Let your customers know about the construction as soon as possible
• Use social media to share construction information. Provide detour maps and post construction mailers
• Consider reducing inventory and staff during construction

During construction

• Consider using a back entrance for better customer access
• Provide your employees with alternative directions to reduce road and parking congestion
• Use social media to let your customers know you're still open and how to get to you
• Consider a temporary delivery service to reach customers unwilling to drive in the construction area
• Consider staying open later after construction has cleared for the day
• Consider hosting special events
• Continue to stay informed. Check back here for construction updates
• Use the construction project time to get things done you haven't had time to address. Schedule remodels, staff parties or deep clean days

After construction

• Use social media and advertising to let customers know construction is over
• Promote the area's new image and improved driving conditions
• Host an end of construction event. Invite residents, elected officials, business owners, employees and the media
• Support businesses that go through a similar process. Provide feedback on your experiences

Generally construction hours are from 7 AM to 7 PM, Monday through Saturday. Sometimes work is also done on Sunday. The work hours depend on weather and the contractor's schedule. The City's noise ordinance allows contractors to work between 7 AM to 7 PM. 

The contractor will let you know in advance before any water shutdowns. Typically there'll only be three water shutdowns:

• Twice when the new main is placed in service. Each of these shutdowns will last between 4 to 8 hours
• Once when connecting individual water services for each property to the new main. This will last between 2 to 4 hours

After a water shutdown and the water system is turned back on, the water pressure may dislodge calcified deposits. You may want to run faucets in all your sinks to clear the lines. Are your faucets running slowly? Check the screens and clean off any debris. 

We're working to manage stormwater better. We encourage you to participate in a rain barrel workshop. These are hosted by the West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC). Check out their website for more information here.  

Most projects will replace the sanitary sewer and the sanitary laterals up to the property line. There's no interruption to sewer service.

Most projects will replace the storm sewer with a new storm sewer main and stormwater inlets. On some project streets, the contractor will remove or line the existing storm sewer. Some projects may also replace the infiltration basins. 

Contractors restore lawns disturbed during the project with hydro-seed mulch or grass seed. You'll need to maintain the new lawn on your property as you did before the construction. Proper watering, mowing and weed control will help you establish your the new lawn. Keep in mind that the contractor will return if the lawn needs more seeding or other restoration steps.

Mowing the new lawn

Mow the new lawn when the grass reaches 1 to 1.5 inches in height. This should take about 3 to 4 weeks after the seeding. After establishing the lawn, maintain a 2.5 inch mowing height.

Fertilization

The contractor applied starter fertilizer with the hydromulch. Make sure to apply fertilizer after about 4 to 5 weeks. We recommend a fertilizer blend of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). Common examples are 12-12-12 (N-P-K) or 20-10-10 (N-P-K).

Weed Control

Make sure to keep your grass at about 2 to 2.5 inches in height. This will kill off many weeds. Other weeds like dandelions should be sprayed in the fall, if your lawn has been cut around 7 to 8 times. Crabgrass will die out after the first frost in the fall. You can also treat your lawn with a pre-emergent crabgrass control in the following spring to stop the germination of new crabgrass.