DETROIT (WXYZ) — City officials say relief is coming to a stretch of road that has been plagued by potholes for more than two years, but businesses along the route say the damage has already been done.
The nearly one-mile stretch of Mount Elliott, which turns into Conant on Detroit's east side near I-94, is riddled with potholes that appear every few feet, creating a traffic nightmare for drivers and businesses alike.
"It's a big mess. Yes, there's huge potholes, don't even have barricades for the potholes," said Sam Saleh, owner and operator of Hawk Auto Sales.
Saleh says the road has been in this condition for more than two years, causing significant harm to his business.
"We're losing a lot of business, no one is coming through to buy cars," Saleh said.
His auto sales shop sits right on Conant, and he says customers are avoiding the area because of the road conditions.
One driver I spoke with said they've had to repair their car three times this month alone due to the road conditions.
"It's pretty bumpy, especially for low cars," another driver said.
A viewer even emailed us saying, "If this were anywhere else, it would not be allowed to be left in this condition."
City officials acknowledge the problems and say they're working on a solution.
"Once we get done reconstructing this road, they're gonna have something that's gonna last for the next 50 years," said Richard Doherty, city engineer for the city of Detroit.
Doherty explained that the road is in poor condition because of a major project to replace water mains.
"They're doing all this because we're investing $10 to $11 million to replace the road out. The road has been in rough shape for quite a few years now," Doherty said.
Gary Brown, director of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, admitted the project has taken too long.
"They haven't been forgotten, and we're one of those businesses. Our offices, we have hundreds of employees who drive this road. We want it fixed, also," Brown said.
When asked about the timeline for repairs, Doherty said they're waiting for the final approval from the city council.
"Still waiting for the last step to get in on the council agenda. Once that's done, we'll be able to cut them loose, start end of July, first of August, should be done before the snow flies this fall," Doherty said.
Meanwhile, Saleh and other businesses continue to suffer.
"One day it's piping, one day it's different lines. We're waiting for this to come, for that. As you can see, the road here, it's not as busy as it used to be. People are taking other roads," Saleh said.
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