Public Works Projects Update

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Goddard Road to be resurfaced in spring 2018

One of the City’s biggest road improvement projects will begin this spring, when Goddard Road, between Telegraph and Pardee, is resurfaced. The project was officially approved by unanimous vote of City Council during its February 6 meeting.
A contract between the Michigan Department of Transportation and the City was approved. The Goddard Road project will begin in the spring and cost $1.1M. Mayor Rick Sollars stated during the meeting that work on Goddard is somewhat ironic, given that the City is still paying on the $3.075M bond for renovations done to the same roadway in 2008. That bond will not mature until 2019.
The Goddard project is included in the City’s 2018 Federal Aid Projects. Another road project will involve Beech Daly (between Wick and Brest). The Beech Daly resurfacing, to be performed in two parts, will include milling, concrete-base repair, overlays and ADA ramps, are estimated to cost a total of $1.3M, with a little over $1M of that covered by federal aid.
The City has not yet compiled a list of residential street work for the coming year, according to City Engineer Greg Mayhew. Residential street work will be planned based on the 2017 PASER analysis. That analysis will be used to determine which streets will receive concrete panel repair and asphalt resurfacing in 2018.
Taylor completed in July its 2017 Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) study, which will lead to future road repairs in the community as part of a 10-year comprehensive plan.
In an era of revenue cutbacks at the local levels, counties and communities have pushed the State of Michigan for some type of comprehensive infrastructure plan, but the state has lagged behind. In November 2015, Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law a $1.2B transportation package, which began phasing in this year. However, it doesn’t devote the full $1.2B to transportation until 2021.
Locally, the City is required to do a PASER study every two years. The study involves visiting every street in Taylor, and rating the “health” of the roadway. The ratings vary from 1 (failed) to 10 (excellent) and everywhere in between. Many of the Taylor’s north-south and east-west thoroughfares are not maintained by the City, falling under Wayne County jurisdiction.
The PASER system was developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Transportation Information Center. The visual inspection to evaluate pavement surface conditions, when assessed correctly, provides a basis for comparing the quality of roadway segments. The advantage of this method is that roads may be assessed consistently, constantly and quickly.


Sewer work continues

City of Taylor subcontractor Metro Environmental will be cleaning sanitary sewers in the area of Ecorse to Haskell/Weddel to Pelham, followed by the area bounded by Pardee-Wick-Mortenview-Champaign, working from Pardee to the east. Cleaning will last approximately five weeks.



City conducting sewer cleaning, inspection throughout community

The City of Taylor recently obtained a grant through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to conduct a sewer cleaning and television inspection program for sanitary sewers in the City of Taylor. The purpose of the program is to assess the existing condition of the sanitary sewers in an effort to develop a capital improvement program for future rehabilitation and replacement. 

The first step of the project is the cleaning of the sanitary sewers with a high-pressure water jet, cleaning the sewer from manhole to manhole, and removing the debris with a vactor truck.    

During the work of cleaning the sewers some residents may experience an odor coming from floor drains and/or toilets.  To reduce the chance of odor, residents can add water to all floor drains.  It is recommended, while work is being performed on their block, that residents keep toilet lids closed and place a towel between the toilet and seat to deal with possible pressure backup within the sanitary sewer system.  The cleaning may cause gurgling or splashing, as the high pressure jets clean the sewer main.

This work will involve access to sanitary sewer manholes, some of which are located on private property, typically along rear lot lines. The City is requesting that residents provide Hennessey Engineers and United Resource reasonable access to these manholes.
United Resources has been authorized to use specific City fire hydrants for the water necessary for the cleaning process.

As of result of using hydrants in areas with old water mains, natural mineral buildup may be disturbed, resulting in the water having a slight "rust color" for an hour or two.  This does not in any way contaminate the water.  Allowing your water to settle for one or two hours with minimal use and then running the COLD WATER ONLY for one or two minutes will clear any discoloration.  During this period, DO NOT LAUNDRY.

After cleaning the lines, the sewers are televised to evaluate their condition. Working hours will be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.