WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Sarah Davis spent months trying to get Edgevale Road in Waterford Township graded after a massive divot opened up in the middle of the dirt road, creating dangerous conditions for drivers and pedestrians in her neighborhood.
Davis says she had been making calls since May, with her most recent request coming less than two weeks ago.
Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below:
"I keep running into a dead end, feeling like I'm blowing hot air," Davis said. "We've called multiple times to the hot line number with the road commission. We've gotten the response of we'll put it on the schedule, we can't tell you when it is, that's a different department. I've put in the request, and I don't get answers."
She says she also shared with the commission that the road runs through a neighborhood with a school.
"I told them how dangerous this had become. I told them we have seen cars swerving into yards to avoid head on collisions here. I also told them this is a neighborhood with a school in it. We have school-aged children walking up and down this road," Davis said.
After getting no response, Davis posted a photo of the road on social media Tuesday night asking for help. That post caught our attention, and we brought her concerns to Waterford Township's supervisor and the Road Commission for Oakland County.
Craig Bryson, the road commission's senior communications manager, says the agency graded the road in April, but the Davises dispute that, saying crews only patched the paved roads in their neighborhood.
"The only ones that was here in April was filling in the holes at the end of this street," Chuck Davis said.
Bryson says the challenge is managing 750 miles of gravel roads across the county with only 19 road graders.
"Rain and traffic volume can make a gravel road rough very quickly," Bryson said. "We have to prioritize the roads with the highest traffic volumes with higher speeds, which means the primary gravel roads. We have gravel that two, three, four, 5,000 cars a day. That road has a couple hundred cars a day," Bryson said.
Bryson says the commission tries to reach smaller gravel roads anywhere between three to four times between April and November.
"We appreciate those calls. They're not ignored. They do go to the foreman who is in charge of that area, and he keeps track of where those calls come in, and as time permits, he does go out and grade them," Bryson said.
On Wednesday, right in the middle of our interview with the Davises, a road grader came down their street. The crew graded not only Edgevale Road, but other dirt roads in the area as well.
Sarah Davis says she hopes the experience leads to broader change.
"I just really hope that the road commission takes more seriously the duty to communicate, the duty to respond," Sarah Davis said.
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