MACOMB COUNTY (WXYZ) — Macomb County is pouring millions of dollars into roads, bridges and traffic improvements, but for people who live and work along those construction zones, the progress can come with plenty of frustration.
County Executive Mark Hackel highlighted both the scope of the problem and the progress being made during the county’s State of the Roads address Wednesday.
Watch Evan Sery's report in the video player below:
Hackel said 48% of the county’s roads need repairs and estimated there is currently a $2.5 billion need for road projects and other road-related problems.
In 2026, Macomb County is investing $119 million in road, bridge and traffic improvements, including work on 270 lane miles of primary and local roads.
For Macomb Township resident Bob Roxy, the seemingly constant construction has become inspiration for a Halloween display.
Roxy lives just off Romeo Plank Road and decorated his property with skeletons dressed as road construction workers, surrounded by the familiar sights of construction zones.
“Cones, cones, signs, flag guys everywhere, always working on something, that’s for sure,” Roxy said.
He said road construction can make getting around the area difficult.
“It takes me forever to get some place,” Roxy said.
But his tongue-in-cheek display has also generated plenty of attention.
“Everybody loves it,” Roxy said. “Even have road crews come out to take pictures.”
Elsewhere in the county, residents are seeing road projects take shape firsthand.
On Little Mack Avenue in Clinton Township, county road crews are in the middle of a reconstruction project that began in August.
Joseph Tillman, who lives along the road, said he welcomes the improvements after years of driving over a rough roadway.
“Coming down a bumpy street for 16 years is not fun,” Tillman said. “It’s nice to get something new and fresh.”
In Chesterfield Township, another project is just getting underway. Work began Monday on Jefferson Avenue, where crews are repairing a bridge between 21 Mile and Cotton roads.
Atria Beauty Collective owner Stephani Wutka said the business sits near the construction and she initially had concerns about what the project could mean for customers.
“We were a little worried about how it would impact our business just with the traffic and some of the other roads in the area being closed,” Wutka said.
The disruption illustrates the balancing act surrounding Macomb County’s road improvements: Drivers and businesses have to navigate construction now as officials work toward improving the condition of the road network in the years ahead.
Hackel said nearly 62% of county roads are expected to be in good or fair pavement condition by 2030, a six-percentage-point increase from 2025.
“The question we’ve always had was, how do we get sustainable funding?” Hackel said. “So we’re moving in a direction, starting to see the roads are starting to get to good or stable condition as opposed to the reverse happening.”
The work is expected to continue next year. Macomb County plans to spend nearly another $100 million on similar improvements in 2027.
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