Oxford Township officials last week gave the go-ahead to have plans drawn up for an 1,800-foot extension of a water main along the west side of M-24.

The board voted 7-0 to approve an amount not to exceed $31,500 for township Engineer Jim Sharpe, president of the Oxford-based Sharpe Engineering, to prepare engineering plans and bid documents to design and build a water main that would connect two existing mains, one located south of Oakdell Rd. and one on Drahner Rd.

The project would be done in 2019 in conjunction with the major reconstruction of M-24 that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is planning to do then. That reconstruction will extend from the Orion Township border to Harriet St., just north of the village limits.

“By constructing the water main in conjunction with the proposed M-24 road repairs, many of the costs associated with removal and replacement of the roadway that would have been incurred by the township will be paid for by MDOT since it is a part of their roadway project,” Sharpe told this reporter. “These savings to the township are estimated to be around $150,000.”

“Additionally, the timing makes sense so that both the water main and roadway repairs can be completed within one project in lieu of disrupting traffic with two separate projects,” he noted.

Sharpe said this water main extension would “complete an important loop” for the township water system.

“Looping of the water main allows for redundancy within the water system and improves water quality by eliminating dead-end water lines,” he explained.

The extension would add four new fire hydrants for added protection.

“Currently, there are no fire hydrants in this area,” Sharpe said.

It would also give businesses and residents an “opportunity,” Sharpe said, to connect to the township system “immediately, or in the future, should any existing wells along this portion of M-24 fail.”