The Michigan Department of Transportation has awarded a $518,127 Transportation Economic Development Fund grant to the Bay County Road Commission to reconstruct and resurface parts of Flajole and Salzburg roads in Williams Township.
The grant will leverage $4.7 million in private investment, at a private/public ratio of more than 9-to-1.
Falcon Road Maintenance Equipment LLC manufactures asphalt hot boxes and tack distributors for routine pavement repairs such as patching and filling potholes. The company has outgrown its current facility in Midland and is relocating to a 15-acre site at the intersection of Salzburg and Flajole roads in Williams Township. The location, with its proximity to the state trunkline system, was considered an ideal location for the company's new headquarters and production facility.
The BCRC will reconstruct and pave Flajole Road from Falcon's shipping entrance, 800 feet north of Salzburg Road, to Salzburg Road. Additionally, it will resurface Salzburg Road from the company entrance on Salzburg to M-47 and improve the intersection of Salzburg and Flajole roads. The roadwork will enable Falcon to proceed with its $4.7 million expansion, resulting in 50 new full-time positions over the next three years.
The condition of Flajole Road, which provides access to Falcon's shipping and receiving area, presented an obstacle the company's relocation plans. The road's existing gravel surface is weight-restricted and would force the company to reduce its truck loads when frost laws are in effect, thereby increasing its transportation costs. In addition, the pavement on Salzburg Road is nearing the end of its operational life. The increase in traffic generated by Falcon will accelerate the deterioration.
"The support we've received from Williams Township, Bay Future, and MDOT, specifically, has been terrific," said Michael Day, president of Falcon Road Maintenance Equipment LLC. "The pavement improvement project on Flajole Road is important and will ensure our employees, customers and vendors will have safe entrance and exit lanes from our facility to Salzburg Road. Everyone in the community will benefit from this improvement project and we look forward to moving into our new facility in late 2018."