The Berrien County Road Department is applying a new strategy when it comes to road maintenance and repairs. Director Jason Latham tells WSJM News they’ve developed an asset management plan as the department works toward getting more of the county’s 1,500 miles of road in better shape.
“Going toward making sure that 75% of the roads in Berrien County, the primary and local road network, is in either fair or good condition by 2029,” Latham said.
Right now, most of the roads are rated poor. Latham says much work went into drafting the three-year asset management plan, which prioritizes which roads to fix and when while keeping track of all road department resources. The plan focuses on keeping good roads in good shape and staying on top of the most-traveled.
“It highlights a few coming up in 2019,” Latham said. “At Napier Avenue and Red Arrow Highway. Those are a couple of projects that are on the larger scale.”
The new three-year asset management plan is mandated by the state to ensure the county road department is making a coordinated, unified effort to improve the roads. The Berrien County Board of Commissioners approved the plan this week.
