Holes are being drilled for new signs that will replace current ones along both the northbound and southbound lanes on I-75 between Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace. Action Traffic Maintenance of Flint is conducting the work, with employees Foreman Don Campbell (left) of Almont and Lyman Krumpp of Chesaning. New state speed limit guidelines in road work zones will affect motorists as they travel along I-75 between the Mackinac Bridge in St. Ignace and the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie as three construction projects costing more than $13 million take place over the next two years.

The work zone will have two speed limit signs, the standard speed limit sign and a new one which will require motorists to reduce their speed to 45 miles per hour when workers are present, explained Pete Paramski, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) delivery engineer of the Transportation Service Center in Newberry. If no workers are present, then drivers will be allowed to travel at the posted speed. The new sign reads, "Where Workers Present 45."

Drivers also will see "Work Zone Begins" and "Reduced Speed Zone Ahead" signs, he said.

Work will begin in early May on the three I-75 projects, which include a grade lift, concrete joint and crack repair, asphalt surfacing, and guardrail upgrade, which will occur on a 8.96-mile stretch of both northand southbound lanes of I-75. Resurfacing will take place at the carpool parking lot at the M-123 and the Mackinac Trail intersection, and the bridges that cross over the Pine River also will receive resurfacing work.

Details of the projects were offered to area residents at an MDOT open house at Little Bear East Conference Center in St. Ignace Wednesday, April 19.

While traffic will be reduced to one lane during the grade lift and surfacing, the MDOT projects may cause slowdowns and minor delays, though no traffic stops are expected, said Mr. Paramski.

The grade lift and surfacing projects are expected to take two years, with a completion date of October 27, 2007, he said. The

northbound lane will be finished in 2006 and the entire project will be completed with the southbound lane being finished in 2007.

Initially, the almost nine-mile stretch of highway, beginning north of the M-134 on-ramp and running to the MackinacChippewa county line, was scheduled for road maintenance. At the last minute, however, additional federal funding became available, turning the project into a total reconstruction, explained Mr. Paramski.

The work crews will begin the project by clearing trees along I75. With the roadway being raised, clearing limits need to be widened, Mr. Paramski said. The actual grade lift work is expected to begin in June. Crews will add 12 inches of gravel on top of the current asphalt roadway. This procedure uses the old road surface to support the new pavement, he explained.

Paving the surface, shoulder resurfacing, and restoration work will finish the northbound project by October 27, Mr. Paramski said.

During the process, one lane of traffic will be open on the northbound lane and crews will start work on the inside lane. Traffic then will be moved onto the outside lane and the shoulder during the second phase, said Mr. Paramski. There will be no work on I-75 southbound this year, he added.Resurfacing of the carpool lot is expected to be completed this year. On the Pine River bridges, waterproofing membrane and asphalt overlay will be completed on the northbound bridge this year, and on the southbound bridge next year.

H and D, Inc. of Petoskey was awarded the construction jobs with a bid of $12,698,095. Project Manager Jim Pemberton said he expects the projects will create work for approximately 100 people.

He also said the company has an historic relationship with I-75. In 1963, the company, then known as Hodgkiss and Douma, completed the final stretch of I-75, which linked St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie. he explained. The steel or wood posts are bolted to a heavy metal plate that is secured on top of the concrete. The bolts attached to the posts are designed to release the sign if it were struck by a vehicle, he explained.

In addition to the new font, the yellow background on warning signs is changing, said Mrs. Abbitt. The new warning signs

will offer a fluorescent yellow sheeting, which will make them easier for drivers to spot, she added. The new fluorescent sheeting on the signs already has been tested with success, she noted.

"We've gotten a lot of compliments on the sheeting," she said. "People say they can see them in a blizzard."