Roads

There are several types of roads in Ash Township. Below is a description of the different types of roads and who will maintain them.

Federal Highway – The Federal Highway Commission contracts the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to maintain the federal highways. I-275 is the only Federal Highway in Ash Township.

State Highway – Michigan Department of Transportation, Telegraph is the only state highway in Ash Township.

All other roads, excluding the Village of Carleton, are local roads and under the jurisdiction of the Monroe County Road Commission. Local roads are divided into 2 categories.

Primary – These are the major traffic carriers across the township such as Labo, Grafton etc.

Secondary – These roads are less traveled roads such as those in a subdivision and the filler roads that lead to a primary road such as Sweitzer, Port Creek, Jones, etc.

Private – These are roads that look like any other public road but, it was never dedicated for public use by Ash Township or MCRC. These roads are owned and maintained by the property owners that live on them.

Q. Who fixes my road and who pays for it?

A. Please locate what type of road you live on above. State and Federal roads are maintained with money collected from Act 51 (the gas tax). All local roads are under the jurisdiction of the Monroe County Road Commission (MCRC). The MCRC also uses Act 51 money for maintenance of the roads. However, when it comes to secondary roads, Ash Township must pay for anything other than routine maintenance. So indirectly through the tax on a gallon of gas and property taxes, you as a consumer and property owner pay for road maintenance and replacement.

Q. If I think my road needs service, (scraping, pot hole filling, dust control, etc.) who do I call?

A. You can always call the Township Manager, Greg Baker, or the MCRC directly at 734-240-5100 ext. 0 and ask to put in a service request. The Township and the MCRC will need to know information such as the nature of the complaint, nearest address, cross roads, (i.e. Newburg between Maxwell and Grafton), your name and phone number in case we need more information.

Q. I want to pave my driveway, do I need a permit?

A. Yes, if the pavement (asphalt or concrete) is to be put in the road right-of-way you will need to contact the MCRC to find out what their building requirements for your individual road may be.

Q. I am building a new home and need to place a culvert in the ditch for access to my property; do I need a permit for that?

A. Yes, you would need to contact the MCRC for information on how large the culvert must be and the type of material it must be made of. The MCRC will come out and stake the elevations of both ends of the culvert for you and it must be installed to those elevations or you will have to remove it and try again.

Q. I have a dead tree on my property in the road right-of-way; will the Township or the County have the tree removed?

A. Yes, the MCRC will remove a dead tree in the right-of-way, but only if the tree poses a current threat to public safety. With limited funds, the MCRC no longer removes trees just because they’re dead. You can always ask the Township Board if they would consider paying for the removal or share in the cost with you. Once again you would need to prove that it is a threat to public safety.

Q. The ditch in front of my house is full of water and does not drain, can I clean it myself? If not who will?

A. First, without permission from MDOT or MCRC no one can work in any road right-of-way. This is for your safety as well as the safety of the motoring public. We in Monroe County have a difficult time with drainage. Our relatively flat terrain makes it difficult to move water in roadside ditches. You should first call the Township Manager and he will try and determine what is causing the water not to flow. It could be a plugged driveway culvert down stream, a collapsed cross tile under the road, someone has illegally dumped material in the ditch, it has not been cleaned in years, etc. and he will call MCRC for a service request. It is important to note that it often takes several days for water to work its way from your roadside ditch. This temporary water would not be a problem for you and just be patient. A roadside ditch is not designed to hold water for long periods, if it does, call Ash Township first. It should also be noted that the ditch in front of your house may be a County drain. In this case it may always have some water in it, but once again call the Township and they may need to get the Monroe County Drain Commission (MCDC) involved.

Q. I want to get my road fixed but I am told I live on a private road, what does that mean?

A. A private road may look like any other public road but it was never dedicated for public use by the Township or the MCRC. Private roads are not maintained by the MCRC or Ash Township, they are maintained and the financed by the property owners that live on them.