Bay County is among eight Michigan counties getting major economic development grants from the state Department of Transportation.
The county had two projects approved for funding; the first is at Dow Corning's Auburn site on Eleven Mile Road, which is not currently an all-season route. That causes problems for trucking and costs the company a lot of fuel and shipping money, as well as causing truck traffic congestion.
MDOT will improve the road to all-season condition, helping Dow Corning maintain a $117 million investment in building two new product lines in Michigan as opposed to other sites.
The cost will be about $1.54 million including $813,000 in local matching funds.
In Williams Township, Mersen Midland will consolidate its operations in a new 90,000-square-foot building that's projected to bring 32 new jobs to the area. To support the construction, MDOT will build up Flajole Road, realign the intersection with Salzburg Road, and bring it up to large trucking standards and all-season condition, which will allow Mersen to put a freight entrance on the road. The cost is about $369,000, with about $121,000 coming from local matching funds.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Michigan Department of Transportation
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.