Thirty new jobs will be added in Chippewa County when Superior Fabrication Company, located at the site of the former Kincheloe U.S. Air Force Base in Kinross Charter Township, adds 26,000 square feet to its current operation. The expansion will be paid for with a grant designed to make major road improvements that will help employers add or retain jobs.

To accommodate the anticipat- ed increased truck traffic, Michigan Department of Transportation will reconstruct nearly 100 feet of northbound and southbound I-75 and replace a failing culvert.

Superior Fabrication Company produces masts for rough terrain and heavy-duty forklifts, surgical braces for orthopedic procedures, and armored components for military vehicles.

The company considered its North Carolina plant as a site for its planned expansion, but determined that its Michigan site was more feasible and offered more room for future expansion and development. Transportation networks also played a factor in this decision, as the chosen site is strategically located near a major north-south interstate and an eastwest highway.

The company will invest $3 million in the new facility. The cost of the I-75 project is $662,110, including $350,000 in grant funds, and $312,110 in local match from the Michigan Department of Transportation Superior Region.

These Transportation Economic Development Fund grants will help two employers add or retain jobs in two counties, announced Governor Jennifer Granholm July 18, as Chrysler will retain 750 jobs in St. Clair County through the program.