The Livingston County Road Commission has the selected the contractor that will help lay 50 tons of asphalt on many primary and subdivision roads this construction season.

Managing Director Mike Craine said that after 4 years of working with Reith Riley Construction out of Lansing, the Road Commission will again be working with them through 2019. Out of a mutual agreement, the Road Commission and contractor can extend prices for a year, which has worked to the benefit of the Livingston County taxpayers over the past 4. Craine said, however, that they felt it was in the best interest for everyone to let the old contract expire. For the Road Commission, this allowed them to test the market. For Reith-Riley, it allowed them to reprice their services. On Tuesday the Road Commission opened 4 bids for the 2019 construction season, and announced Thursday that Reith-Riley again had the best offer. Craine looks forward to continuing business with saying the Road Commission has a close relationship with Reith-Riley in terms of issues like quality control and their level of traffic control as projects are being built.

Craine said that they have roughly $7.5 to 8-million worth of projects already slated to start this year, but typically that number goes up by another 2 to $4-million each season.

Several subdivisions have come forward wanting work done, along with many roads that overlap two townships. Brighton Township alone will see 3 projects, with the work near the Proving Grounds joining 2 separate projects on Pleasant Valley Road. Hamburg Township residents will also see multiple projects completed thanks in large part to support from their road millage. Other major projects include 2 miles of Mason Road between Handy and Iosco townships, 2 miles of Owosso Road between Hand and Howell Township, and 1 mile of Denton Hill in Tyrone Township. Craine said now that the contractor has been chosen, it’s time to work on getting dates set for starting these and other improvements around the county. (MK)