DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Six months after an 18-year-old went viral for filling potholes on Cherry Hill Road with buckets of asphalt from Home Depot, Dearborn Heights leaders say a long-awaited reconstruction project is finally moving forward, and ahead of schedule.
Back in March, 18-year-old Ali Chami grabbed a shovel and spent about $60 of his own money patching potholes along Cherry Hill Road between Gully and Inkster roads after growing frustrated with the condition of the heavily traveled roadway.
The amateur repair job, documented on TikTok, quickly gained attention online and sparked renewed discussion about the road's future. At the time, city officials acknowledged residents' frustrations but said a major reconstruction project was still more than a year away.
Related Story: 18-year-old fixes potholes on Cherry Hill Road by himself
Now, Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun says that timeline has dramatically changed.
"Cherry Hill was a project that was slated to begin in April of 2027," Baydoun told 7 News Detroit reporter Faraz Javed. "With the support from the state and the county, we were able to move this project to start this fall."
Construction is scheduled to begin Monday, with crews expected to start work along the stretch of Cherry Hill Road between Gully and Inkster roads.
According to Baydoun, the project will cost approximately $3 million collectively between Inkster and Dearborn Heights, and is expected to provide drivers with a completely rebuilt roadway that has been the subject of complaints for years.
"Starting this Monday, you will see all these orange cones on Cherry Hill, and we will begin the project of breaking ground right on Cherry Hill so that the community that commutes on Cherry Hill will now have a brand-new paved road," Baydoun said.
The mayor said the project was originally scheduled to begin in spring 2027 but was accelerated by several months through cooperation between local and state leaders.
Baydoun specifically credited partnerships between the city, Wayne County and the Michigan Department of Transportation, as well as support from state lawmaker Alabas Farhat, for helping move the project forward sooner than expected.
While road construction can often frustrate drivers with lane closures and detours, Baydoun said officials believe residents will welcome the inconvenience if it means finally addressing one of the area's most notorious stretches of pavement.
The mayor also reflected on Chami's viral video, saying he appreciated the attention it brought to the issue.
"I love that that's how he was civically engaged and got involved," Baydoun said. "To that young man, Mr. Chami, I ask you to continue to be engaged."
Baydoun said Chami's social media posts helped highlight residents' concerns and demonstrated how younger generations can play a role in drawing attention to community issues.
"I actually appreciated that video very, very much," Baydoun said. "While others may have thought otherwise, I really enjoyed it because I'm somebody that likes to be vocal and find different ways to grab attention to government."
With construction now set to begin, city leaders hope the viral pothole videos that once highlighted Cherry Hill Road's rough condition will soon become a thing of the past.
"I want you to know that the viral videos on social media should go away after this because we are doing work across the entire city of Dearborn Heights," Baydoun said.
The city says traffic will continue to move through the area during construction, though drivers should expect lane shifts and delays as work progresses.
Officials are targeting completion of the project by early November, though a final completion date has not yet been announced.
