Macomb County leaders celebrate reopening of Mound Road after renovations
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - All lanes of Mound Road between Interstate 696 and M-59 are back open after undergoing a major renovation; leaders call it the largest road project in Macomb County's history.
The renovations have challenged businesses like Srodek's Quality Polish Food just south of 18 Mile Road.
"With reduced lanes, customers having issues with traveling down the road, whether they were young or elderly," said Magdalena Srodek, owner of Srodek's Quality Polish Food. "There were significant challenges to people coming to our business, and that had an economic impact on our establishment."
But the $220 million renovation was much needed for the stretch of Mound Road notorious for potholes.
"This has an incredible impact on the state's economy, as well as the federal economy. So they realize they need to be a partner in helping us with this, whether it's the defense industry, automotive industry, manufacturing industry, and suppliers. This cluster of assets is very unique. You don't see this anywhere else around the entire country," Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel told CBS News Detroit.
With the federal government picking up a good chunk of the bill, Mound Road is now a safer, smoother, and smarter roadway.
"We have a lot of technology in the intersections that will be able to communicate with the vehicles that travel on the roadway, be able to communicate with the signals as far as speed, driving the wrong way, sensing whether you're going to run a red light," said Bryan Santo, director of Macomb County Department of Roads.
As leaders celebrated the reopening on Thursday, they're now focusing on the south side of Mound Road.
According to Santo, the second segment is set to cost around $100 million, and they're looking for federal funding to cover at least 60% of it. So far, they have secured over a million-dollar federal grant to start the preliminary engineering design for that portion between Eight Mile Road and I-696.
Some locals feel it may be a tough sell.
"Up on the north side, there's a lot more people going to and from houses and stuff like that. And it's mostly industrial down there. So that may be difficult, but we'll see," said Reg Sobczynski, a customer at Srodek's Quality Polish Food.
In the coming months, crews will put some finishing touches, like landscaping on the completed portion of Mound Road.
"Christmas came early to Srodek's and to all of the establishments on Mound Road, so thank you so very much," Srodek said.