RELEASE: Governor Whitmer Continues to Fix the Damn Roads with Projects Starting This Week in Barry, Otsego, and Montmorency Counties

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 14, 2025

Governor Whitmer Continues to Fix the Damn Roads with Projects Starting This Week in Barry, Otsego, and Montmorency Counties

LANSING, Mich. —  Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will begin road repair projects this week in several counties across the state, including Barry, Otsego, and Montmorency Based on economic modeling, these investments are expected to directly and indirectly support 52 jobs.

"Across Michigan, we are moving dirt and fixing the damn roads to grow our economy, helping Michiganders go to work, drop their kids off at school and run errands safely," said Governor Whitmer. "By the end of this construction season, we will have fixed, repaired or replaced nearly 24,500 lane miles of roads and 1,900 bridges, supporting thousands of good-paying, local jobs without raising taxes by a dime. This year, let's build on our momentum to pass a bipartisan local road funding plan so we can keep fixing our damn roads and creating good-paying, local jobs."

M-79 Resurfacing in Barry County

MDOT is investing $1.2 million to resurface more than 3.5 miles of M-79 from Barryville Road to the western edge of Nashville in Barry County. Based on economic modeling, this investment is expected to directly and indirectly support 11 jobs.

County:	Barry
Highway:	M-79
Closest city:	Nashville
Start date:	Monday, July 14, 2025
Estimated end date:	Mid-August 2025
Traffic restrictions:	Shoulder closures will be in effect throughout the project and daily lane closures will be in place between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Safety benefit:	This project will improve the ride and extend the service life of the roadway.

M-32 Repaving in Otsego and Montmorency Counties

MDOT is investing $4.3 million to mill and repave 17 miles of M-32 from east of Hayes Road in Gaylord to east of Meridian Line Road in Vienna. Repaving will not include a section of M-32 from Turtle Lake Road to McCoy Road and Rowan Avenue to Finnegan Road, previously resurfaced in 2021. Based on economic modeling, this investment is expected to directly and indirectly support 41 jobs.

Counties:	Otsego, Montmorency
Highway:	M-32
Closest city:	Gaylord, Johannesburg and Vienna
Start date:	Monday, July 14, 2025
Estimated end date:	Friday, October 3, 2025
Traffic restrictions:	This work will require daytime single-lane closures with traffic regulators.
Safety benefit:	This project will extend the service life of the roadway and includes new pavement markings and rumble strips.

###