WALKER, Mich. - Between the potholes and the cracks covered with tar, it's no secret Michigan roads need some work. Who is responsible for filling the potholes and sealing the cracks?
A viewer sent us a video showing names written in tar in the right hand lane heading north on Alpine Avenue at the corner of Avastar Parkway.
Beginning at the corner of Alpine and Avastar Parkway northbound: Chad, David, Sam, Jimmy, Josh and Matt are signed in tar.
"Nice to see the road crews doing something with their time," driver Adom Gorka said.
Who are these guys? Are they city employees?
According to Mark Koning with the Walker Public Works Department, these names do not belong to city employees.
In fact, this work was done by a subcontractor under the Grand Valley Metro Council. Koning said taxpayers were not paying for it. The project was bid it out in lane miles. For example, 30 miles of work costs the same regardless of how much crack seal is used.
So, we can verify that Chad, David, Sam, Jimmy, Josh and Matt do not work for the city and you are not paying for their Alpine Avenue autographs.
The Metro Council said this was part of a preventative maintenance program to prolong the life of the roads, but the program was canceled in September of 2017 because of the hassle of the bidding and contract process.
The four to five hundred thousand dollars that used to go up for bidding, now goes straight to the city's to repair the roads themselves.
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