What did Blendon, Georgetown, and Jamestown Townships do to warrant all this attention from the Road Commission this year? Did their roads suffer more wear and tear? Did they somehow experience colder temperatures or thicker ice, leaving them with an extra smattering of potholes?
According to Alex Doty, the Communications Administrator for the Ottawa County Road Commission, this was a tougher year on all the county’s roads due to the wintry conditions and freezing we had. Even so, weather is not the reason these townships will see more delays, detours, and orange cones than the rest of us.
Doty said that each year the Road Commission focuses most of its work on a quadrant of the county. This year the quadrant consists of Blendon, Georgetown, and Jamestown Townships, and those three will be on the receiving year of this year’s chip seal program—among other make overs.
Chip seal, also referred to as seal coat, is a protective coating of asphalt emulsion and an aggregate that will prolong the life of the pavement. The process is done in three stages: preparation, application, and compaction by a roller. And once that’s done, those residents will see the crew back several weeks later to apply what’s called a fog seal.
At 20 planned road projects—the most in the entire county—Blendon Township residents probably will have the road crew for dinner a time or two before the snow flies. 15 of those projects are for seal coat surfacing, two are for culvert replacements, and one is for resurfacing a section of Baldwin Street.
The remaining two projects will be shared with Georgetown, one—which already began in March—is for a water transmission main installation on 48th Avenue. The second one is for… they’re very own roundabout. The intersection of 48th Avenue and Baldwin Street soon will have motorists cruising around whatever those two townships decide to set in the middle. Maybe a sculpture that represents both, like a wildcat sitting with a farm animal.
All in all Georgetown Township is scheduled for 19 projects in 2026. In addition to the two projects shared with Blendon, eight roads are set to receive the seal coat surfacing treatment. Also planned is the paving of a segment of 12th Avenue, a bridge rehabilitation over Rush Creek, and a culvert replacement. Six roads are scheduled for improvements such as resurfacing or milling, Click here to see if your route will be affected.
Jamestown Township follows Georgetown with 18 projects scheduled, twelve of which will undergo the seal coat surfacing. There will be one bridge replacement over the Kampen Struk Drain, three culver replacements, and a section of New Holland Street will be resurfaced. Visit this page for more details.
When it’s all said and done, Blendon, Georgetown, and Jamestown will be the most spiffed-up townships in the whole county. But in the meantime, the road projects may require a little extra patience.
Travelers could choose to embrace the construction, seeing it as an opportunity to be adventurous and explore roads less traveled.
The remaining Ottawa County townships have six or fewer road projects scheduled for 2026. And not to be outdone by Blendon and Georgetown... Grand Haven and Robinson Townships will share a new roundabout at Lincoln Street and 144th Avenue, and Olive Township gets their own at 120th Avenue and Port Sheldon Street.
With the addition of all these roundabouts, soon four-way stops may be a thing of the past—which would be a shame since it’s the one place motorists take the time to make eye contact and communicate with hand gestures. It’s kind of nice.
To find out more about what’s ahead for the roads this year, visit the Road Commission's page online.
Krista Yetzke is a native of Ottawa County. A jeep-driving, guitar-playing wife, mom, and everyday adventurer, Krista was raised on the love of Jesus, the great outdoors, the arts, the value of frugality, and the beauty of food as medicine.
Copyright © 2025 Hollander Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without written authorization. By providing your email or phone number, you are consenting to receive emails, calls, and SMS/MMS messages from The Hollander and affiliates. Msg & data rates may apply.
