Brandon Twp – After several years of planning and a few false starts, the safety path along M-15 is supposed to be completed by Sept. 15, but not without a few more glitches.
Path contractor is in the process of hiring new construction workers to finish the bridge next to M-15, by the Brandon Middle School.
Shortly after carpenters began constructing the safety path bridge, the company folded.
‘As with everything in life, there are a few glitches,? said Ron Lapp, township supervisor.
Path contractor Ed White of Ed White Construction has been looking for another company to finish the job, but Lapp said White is having difficulty finding anyone available during peak construction season.
Under the gun, the race to find carpenters is on because if the path is not done by Sept. 15, White Construction will be looking at per diem punitive measures from Brandon Township. Bids for the bridge construction went out on Aug. 19.
The safety path is intended for student pedestrian traffic that would eventually connect the high school, Belle Ann Elementary, H.T. Burt and Harvey-Swanson Elementary schools, east of M-15.
At a total cost of $225,000 to complete, it is to be built at no additional cost to the taxpayers, according to Lapp.
The launching of the safety path project was the first project undertaken by the current board, more than three years ago.
After months of planning, the board finally awarded an $183,294 contract to a Detroit company, Warren Contractors and Developers, in September 2002. When the contract was finally awarded the Warren Contractors increased the construction quote, so the township denied the contract.
In April 2003 a second contract was awarded to Edward R. White from Berkley, MI.
Hoping not to cause further pedestrian disruption, other related projects such as landscaping work continues, and Lapp says hopefully carpenters will be on the bridge soon.