CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP (WXYZ) — Drivers in Chesterfield Township are navigating a series of road, bridge, and utility projects that are creating traffic backups and detours across the community.
Township officials say the work is necessary to improve roads and infrastructure, but some residents and businesses say having several projects underway at the same time has made getting around increasingly difficult.
“Bumper to bumper, everybody’s trying to cut each other off,” said Nathan Cochrill, manager of Meldrum Bros., a business near 23 Mile Road.
Cochrill said trips through the area that would normally take only a few minutes can now take much longer.
“Yeah, I can get why they’re angry, sitting in traffic 15, 20 minutes for what should be a three-minute drive,” Cochrill said.
Work on I-94 adds to congestion
One of the projects contributing to the slowdown is work at the I-94 overpass.
Chesterfield Township Supervisor Brad Kersten said the project will create what he described as the township’s first pedestrian crosswalk over I-94.
“It’s a pure enhancement for the township, something we have been looking forward to for a very long time,” Kersten said.
But while the project promises a long-term improvement, Cochrill said his business is feeling the effects of the construction now. He said some customers have avoided the area because they do not want to deal with the traffic.
Kersten acknowledged the frustration.
“Been a madhouse, been a complete madhouse,” he said.
Multiple projects happening at once
The I-94 work is not the only construction affecting drivers.
The Macomb County Department of Roads is handling construction along Jefferson Avenue, stretching from the Selfridge main gate north through the city of New Baltimore.
Kersten said Chesterfield Township has also been working to improve water and sewer infrastructure in the corridor.
“That was a planned project the township took on, and we have slowly been improving water mains and sewer main from Hall Road/Rosso interchange all the way north into the city of New Baltimore,” Kersten said.
At the same time, DTE is working on a yearlong reliability network project that involves replacing old wooden poles with steel structures. Kersten said that work has affected traffic along Gratiot Avenue, 23 Mile Road and Cotton Road.
For some residents, the number of projects and closures has become frustrating.
“There’s no answers. Everybody just shut everything down without really thinking about where these people are gonna go,” resident Linda Fanke-Bandlow said.
Unexpected bridge repairs complicate detours
Kersten said planned construction was further complicated when two bridges or culverts on major township routes needed repairs. Those roads had also been used as detour routes.
One of them is the Sugarbush Road bridge directly in front of Chesterfield Township Hall, which has been closed since September while crews make repairs.
“I didn’t even know this road was closed when I was driving down here today,” resident Lily Vosler said.
Another bridge on Jefferson Avenue between 21 Mile and Cotton roads has since reopened, providing some relief for drivers.
Kersten said the disruptions are an unavoidable part of improving aging infrastructure and that officials are trying to coordinate road work with upgrades below ground to avoid having to tear up newly repaired roads later.
“To fix the roads, you’re gonna have to disrupt the roads,” Kersten said. “Yes, it is inconvenient at this point, at this time, but we are fixing the roads. But along with fixing the roads, you have to make sure the water, sewer, underground below it is also modern and doesn’t have to be repaired so you’re not tearing up the road again.”
For Chesterfield Township drivers, that means dealing with the construction now in hopes of smoother trips once the projects are complete.
