The intersection of Byron Road and 48th Avenue will become a roundabout next year under plans by the Ottawa County Road Commission. The intersection had 19 crashes from 2023 to 2025, according to Road Commission statistics.
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Ottawa County Road Commission is preparing to build a roundabout next year at the intersection of Byron Road and 48th Avenue.
Road Commission Board Chairman Kurt Van Koevering shared an update about the estimated $2.1 million project at a recent Zeeland Township board meeting.
“It’s rated one of the top intersections needing a roundabout in the county,” Van Koevering said.
The Road Commission is wrapping up work on the roundabout at 120th Avenue and Port Sheldon Street in Olive Township, and is just starting work on another roundabout at 48th Avenue and Baldwin Street, where Blendon and Georgetown townships meet.
About 6,700 vehicles go through the Byron and 48th intersection on a typical day, according to figures supplied by the Road Commission.
The intersection of Byron and 48th had 19 crashes between 2023 and 2025, including nine crashes last year. Sixteen people were injured in those crashes, including four who suffered severe injuries, Road Commission statistics show.
The most common cause of crashes was failure to yield. Thirteen of the 19 crashes resulted from the at-fault driver failing to yield, including four instances where the driver thought the intersection was a four-way stop, Road Commission statistics show.
While the Road Commission is estimating the project cost at $2.1 million, they’ve been able to build roundabouts this year for a lower cost, Road Commission Engineer Brandt Homik wrote in an email to the Zeeland Record.
“After the bidding process, all three of our 2026 roundabouts came in anywhere between $1.1 million and $1.6 million. This is important because we are being conservative with the $2.1 million estimated cost,” Homik wrote.
The Byron and 48th project will be paid for using Neighborhood Road Funds provided from the state.
“The Wholesale Marijuana Tax directs a 24% sales tax on wholesale marijuana product that are entered into a pool,” Homik wrote. “This then becomes distributed and allocated with a local priority that is directed towards county road commissions and municipal agencies around the state.”
The roundabout is still in the early planning and design process at this time. The Road Commission hopes to get the project out to bid between November and April of next year, with a construction start date of May-July 2027, Homik wrote.
The roundabout is the only major Road Commission project planned for Zeeland Township next year, but several projects are on the drawing board in the township for 2028. They include resurfacing work on two segments of 84th Avenue – from Gordon Street to Business Loop I-196 and from the business loop to Chicago Drive. Also on the project list are replacing the bridge on 76th Avenue, south of Adams Street, and rehabilitating the bridge on Adams, west of 68th Avenue over the Black River tributary, Van Koevering said.
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Future Road Commission projects in the township include:
2029
• Resurfacing on 72nd Avenue from Chicago Drive to New Holland Street
• Resurfacing on 96th Avenue from Ottogan Street to BL-196
2030
• Construction of a roundabout at 96th Avenue and Quincy Street
• Widening 96th Avenue from two lanes to three from Riley Street to Quincy
2031
• Resurfacing Adams from 64th Avenue to 84th Avenue
• Resurfacing Adams from 84th Avenue to 96th Avenue
Zeeland Record
The Ottawa County Road Commission is preparing to build a roundabout next year at the intersection of Byron Road and 48th Avenue.
Road Commission Board Chairman Kurt Van Koevering shared an update about the estimated $2.1 million project at a recent Zeeland Township board meeting.
“It’s rated one of the top intersections needing a roundabout in the county,” Van Koevering said.
The Road Commission is wrapping up work on the roundabout at 120th Avenue and Port Sheldon Street in Olive Township, and is just starting work on another roundabout at 48th Avenue and Baldwin Street, where Blendon and Georgetown townships meet.
About 6,700 vehicles go through the Byron and 48th intersection on a typical day, according to figures supplied by the Road Commission.
The intersection of Byron and 48th had 19 crashes between 2023 and 2025, including nine crashes last year. Sixteen people were injured in those crashes, including four who suffered severe injuries, Road Commission statistics show.
The most common cause of crashes was failure to yield. Thirteen of the 19 crashes resulted from the at-fault driver failing to yield, including four instances where the driver thought the intersection was a four-way stop, Road Commission statistics show.
While the Road Commission is estimating the project cost at $2.1 million, they’ve been able to build roundabouts this year for a lower cost, Road Commission Engineer Brandt Homik wrote in an email to the Zeeland Record.
“After the bidding process, all three of our 2026 roundabouts came in anywhere between $1.1 million and $1.6 million. This is important because we are being conservative with the $2.1 million estimated cost,” Homik wrote.
The Byron and 48th project will be paid for using Neighborhood Road Funds provided from the state.
“The Wholesale Marijuana Tax directs a 24% sales tax on wholesale marijuana product that are entered into a pool,” Homik wrote. “This then becomes distributed and allocated with a local priority that is directed towards county road commissions and municipal agencies around the state.”
The roundabout is still in the early planning and design process at this time. The Road Commission hopes to get the project out to bid between November and April of next year, with a construction start date of May-July 2027, Homik wrote.
The roundabout is the only major Road Commission project planned for Zeeland Township next year, but several projects are on the drawing board in the township for 2028. They include resurfacing work on two segments of 84th Avenue – from Gordon Street to Business Loop I-196 and from the business loop to Chicago Drive. Also on the project list are replacing the bridge on 76th Avenue, south of Adams Street, and rehabilitating the bridge on Adams, west of 68th Avenue over the Black River tributary, Van Koevering said.
—————
Future Road Commission projects in the township include:
2029
• Resurfacing on 72nd Avenue from Chicago Drive to New Holland Street
• Resurfacing on 96th Avenue from Ottogan Street to BL-196
2030
• Construction of a roundabout at 96th Avenue and Quincy Street
• Widening 96th Avenue from two lanes to three from Riley Street to Quincy
2031
• Resurfacing Adams from 64th Avenue to 84th Avenue
• Resurfacing Adams from 84th Avenue to 96th Avenue
