By: Mary Genson | Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle | Published September 21, 2022
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — Long Lake Road, between the north and south legs of Franklin Road in Bloomfield Township, will be closed for emergency repairs of a failing sanitary sewer starting the week of Sept. 19.
The project, just west of Kirk in the Hills Church and east of Franklin Road, involves replacing the sanitary sewer along the south side of Long Lake Road, between Groton Road and Pine Tree Trail, and across Long Lake Road to the north side of the road.
Olivia Olsztyn-Budry, the director of engineering and environmental services at Bloomfield Township, said the damage was found last year as part of a state grant-funded program supporting the televising of “a good portion” of the township’s sanitary sewer system.
“During televising of the township’s sanitary sewer, we identified a section needing repair that runs parallel and also crosses Long Lake Road in the area of Groton and Pine Tree Trail, so we have to dig it up to replace it. … It’s just in a tough location, running parallel and crossing Long Lake Road.”
Craig Bryson of the Road Commision for Oakland County said this segment of Long Lake Road carries approximately 17,500 vehicles daily.
The closure is between Groton Road and Pine Tree Trail, so residents living along those roads will not have access to Long Lake Road and will need to use Franklin Road. The detour for through traffic is Telegraph Road to Lone Pine Road to Franklin Road, back to Long Lake Road and vice versa.
“It’s about a 3-mile area,” Bryson said.
During the work, Bryson said, access to homes and businesses on Long Lake Road will be maintained, but the safety path along Long Lake Road in the area will be closed for the duration of the project.
Township officials said the sanitary sewer replacement is necessary to continue providing service for almost 200 residents upstream of the repair area.
“Unfortunately, a lot of the underground infrastructure throughout the Oakland County area is aging and needs to be either repaired, replaced or updated, and a lot of it is underneath the road, so this does happen with relative regularity,” Bryson said.
“We have not identified a specific cause of the damage … but it is likely due to age and location,” Olsztyn-Budry added.
Many factors — such as the design of the sewer, existing soil conditions, the placement of utility poles and lines, and the availability of materials — have contributed to the timing of the project, Olsztyn-Budry said.
“We wanted to make sure we had everything in order before closing Long Lake Road, because it will be a major inconvenience for motorists,” she noted.
The work, which is being done under a permit issued by the Road Commission for Oakland County, is expected to be completed and the road re-opened in mid-November.
Completion of the project also includes the repair of the sink hole at Pine Tree Trail and the reopening of Pine Tree Trail to Long Lake Road, according to township officials.
Concerns of speeding through the neighborhoods can be directed to the Bloomfield Township Police Department at (248) 433-7755.
For more information about the project, contact Cory Borton in the township’s Engineering and Environmental Services Department at (248) 594-2801 or cborton@bloomfieldtwp.org.