WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
The Michigan Department of Transportation has announced its plans to invest more than $75 million in 2013 to improve 141 miles of roadways and repair 21 bridges in its Southwest Region.
The region includes St. Joseph County.
The Southwest Region 2013 program will provide approximately $48.4 million for pavement repair and roughly $27 million to upgrade bridges to good condition.
Region Engineer Bobbi Welke said a key project within the 2013 program is construction of the Constantine US-131 bypass, a $40.7 million task using federal transportation funding unspent by other states.
Elsewhere in St. Joseph County, projects include resurfacing M-60/66 in Colon and Leonidas townships; repaving M-86 from Nottawa Street to Shimmel Road in Centreville; and $1.8 million investment to reconstruct M-216, west of US-131 in Flowerfield Township. That project starts Monday and detours are in place.
One local project in Cass County involves M-40 and features a $900,000 investment to repave the north-south route between U.S. 12 and M-60.
