If everything goes as planned, the million-dollar Rickett Road project in Brighton will start on Sunday, September 1st.

The project involves both installation of a new sanitary sewer line and replacement of the old pavement, which is bumpy and has a number of potholes. City Dept. of Public Services Director Marcel Goch tells WHMI that all residents and businesses, and St Patrick’s Catholic Church, that are located on Rickett north of the railroad tracks, and on Church St. to Grand River, have been notified of the work and the future detour, although access for local businesses and apartments will be maintained.

The detour route will be from Lee Road to Old US-23 to Grand River. Although construction of the new sanitary sewer line was the main impetus for the project, the city will also be doing road work after the sewer portion is completed. Goch says it’s not a complete reconstruction, but all of the old asphalt will be removed and replaced with new pavement. Some curbs will also be replaced, as well as sidewalks and driveways that will have to be disturbed in order for the work to be done.

Dunigan Bros. Inc. of Jackson submitted the low bid of $979,000 to be the general contractor, and, when combined with the construction engineering fees of $72,000 by Tetra Tech, makes the total price of the project to about $1,051,000. The city will pay for the project using $505,000 from the major street fund, $421,000 from its utilities reserve fund and $53,000 from the newly-created capital reserve fund. City Manager Nate Geinzer said a portion of the funds to be expended for the Rickett Road project resulted from earmarking some of the city’s fund balance for “infrastructure investments” on major roads.

Geinzer stressed that the city will not be using any revenues from the street millage which passed in May, which are expected to generate about $1.18 million per year for the next seven years. The sewer work project is slated to be completed by mid-or-late October and the total project, including road work on Rickett and Church St., should be done by December. (TT)