ROCHESTER, Mich. (WXYZ) — A major overhaul of Rochester Road is planned starting in 2027, and the second phase is planned for 2028.
While the project promises a long-term fix for the road, businesses along that stretch fear construction will be a major hit to their bottom line.
John Fox, President of Fox Automotive, told 7 News Detroit he's had numerous meetings with MDOT about the project.
“When we talked about what the financial impact is gonna be, they’re like, ‘We own the land. We’re gonna do whatever we want with it.’ It’s that kind of attitude and that brazenness that’s going to be devastating with all these businesses," he said.
Fox, who owns the Chevrolet, Toyota, and Volkswagen dealerships on Rochester Road near Avon Road, said he’s bracing for a loss in business.
“We average about 220 repair orders a day. Not just people coming to get cars but people getting their cars repaired every day," he said.
Fox continued, "And with that kind of inconvenience, it’s going to be very difficult to maintain that business.”
He said he has 200 employees and estimates he’ll have to add 40 drivers to do pickup and delivery to help customers navigate the mess.
It’s slated to be a 9-month project. MDOT said the first portion of work on Rochester Road in 2027 will run from M-59 to the Clinton River Bridge.
From the month of March to July, one northbound lane will be open. From the month of July to November, one southbound lane will be open.
Fox recalled, “They told me they’re going to close down both of my driveways into my dealerships for a longer period of time and that they expect people to figure out to come down to Arlington to get into the back of each of our stores. Yet, they won’t put any signage up to help people understand that that’s where they should go to get in."
For Superior Lock and Key across the street from the dealership, there is no rear entrance onto the property.
“It’s going to have to be a need and not a want," Benjamin Lula told 7 News Detroit.
The only access is Rochester Road. Lula's family owns the business and said their customers will be in for an eye-opener.
“We’ve kinda started to tell ‘em already," he said.
Lula said a portion of their lock and key business requires him and his father to be mobile while his mother holds down the shop.
He said, “It’s going to be about us getting to jobs on time to and saying ‘Ya know, it’s going to take us a little extra to get there and to get back. So, are we going to be able to fit as many jobs into a day? I don’t know.”
7 News Detroit reached out to MDOT. The agency did not respond to our inquiry Tuesday. In July, the project manager stated MDOT is working with businesses to try and minimize the project's impact.
