Cass Street prioritized for federal road funding in Albion

By Maggie LaNoue

Contributing Writer

Albion’s Small Urban Task Force met on June 18 at City Hall to determine how to allocate $385,000 in federal transportation funding for the 2026 construction season. Participants included representatives from the City of Albion, Calhoun County Road Department, Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study, and other transportation stakeholders.

Although North Maple Street had been listed as a priority, the project’s estimated cost of $1.285 million far exceeded the available federal funds, so the city would have had to cover the difference. “We were going to do North Maple Street from North Street to the city limit,” said Jason Kern, director of public works. “The problem is it came in at about $1,285,000. The rest of it would have to come out of our pocket.”

Mickey Bittner, engineering consultant with Wightman & Associates, explained that Albion receives $385,000 in federal funding through the Small Urban Surface Transportation Block Grant Program every other year, requiring a 20% local match. Because North Maple Street would have cost the city over $1.2 million beyond the grant, it was deferred. Instead, the Cass Street project—estimated at $930,000—was selected, with the city covering $545,000. Bittner noted that Albion has “done an outstanding job of leveraging local dollars to pursue and win competitive grants,” including a $4 million federal legislative grant for future improvements to Albion Street, Dean Drive, and Hoaglin Drive.

City leaders shifted their focus to a smaller but more strategic project: a two-block section of Cass Street between Superior and Albion Street. This stretch, located near Holland Park, the Calhoun County Human Services Building, and the Forks Senior Center, could be repaired as part of an ongoing citywide water main replacement effort.

Doug Terry, Albion’s interim city manager, explained, “We’re trying to build roads from the bottom up. It doesn’t make sense to pave a street if we know the water main underneath is ready to fail. Laying utilities is expensive, so we have to be thoughtful and strategic.”

Since small urban funds for communities with between 5,000 and 50,000 residents are only available every other year, projects must be carefully selected and timed to align with other major infrastructure investments. This year’s funding allows the city to finish the Cass Street corridor without duplication of effort. Albion Street remains scheduled for improvement in 2027, funded by a separate federal legislative grant that also covers Dean and Hoaglin Streets. Additional funds have been requested and the committee members were hopeful they would be approved.

The task force also discussed the city’s aging utility system. Some underground pipes date back to 1909. City engineers must evaluate whether to replace, line, or leave water and sewer lines untouched based on condition, age, and cost. The city is also planning to replace residential water meters and shift to monthly billing, a move intended to simplify payments and improve water usage tracking.  The water and sewer lines are sometimes televised by putting cameras inside to determine the conditions and materials, but this process is also very expensive.

Several Albion residents attended the meeting and asked questions during the public comment portion. The decisions made reflect a careful balance between funding limits, long-term infrastructure planning, and community needs.

Fred Nagler, facilitator of the meeting and representative of the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study, highlighted how the Small Urban Task Force process gives smaller communities like Albion direct input on federal transportation dollars. “This is federal gas tax money that comes back to the states,” Nagler explained. “What makes this kind of unique is that on a local level, we get to decide how that money is redistributed.” He described the program as a strong example of democratic governance at the local level, where citizens and their representatives can help decide how infrastructure dollars are used. Nagler also noted how glad he was to see members of the Albion community attending and participating in the meeting.

Nagler helps facilitate transportation planning in counties across southern Michigan, including Calhoun, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Barry, and Branch. His role ensures that rural and small urban areas have a voice in how state and federal aid is allocated through a democratic, collaborative process.

Some larger improvements around the city, such as bridge repairs, are being funded separately through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—a $1.2 trillion federal initiative passed in 2021 to rebuild and upgrade roads, bridges, water systems, and transit across the U.S. The law funds projects from 2022 through 2026, and communities like Albion are actively applying for and utilizing these competitive funds while they last.

Many of the construction projects in Albion—including the two segments of Cass Street—are being coordinated with a citywide water main replacement program. This strategy allows the city to repair roads from the bottom up, avoiding the waste of resurfacing streets that would later need to be torn up for underground work.

The work of committees like Albion’s Small Urban Task Force is not simply about patching pavement or reacting to the worst roads. It’s a complex process of weighing engineering reports, cost estimates, public input, and long-term infrastructure goals. With limited funding available, these decisions must be made strategically, selecting projects that not only solve today’s problems but also serve the most significant number of people for decades to come. In Albion’s case, that means coordinating surface repairs with underground water and sewer upgrades, ensuring that when a road is rebuilt, it’s done right, from the bottom up.