23 Mile lanes closing in Macomb Township

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — A stretch of 23 Mile Road in Macomb Township will have intermittent lane closures for more than a year in order to be widened, according to the Macomb County Department of Roads.

Started in late June and projected to end in November 2023, the widening of 23 Mile between Romeo Plank and Card roads will be the last phase in the multi-year project to expand the corridor.

“23 Mile Road is a significant east-to-west corridor that connects to other major north-and-south roadways,” Eric Dimoff, MCDR public information officer, said via email. “With the amount of traffic 23 Mile Road handles, along with the needs of the community in Macomb Township, the road expansion provides much-needed added east and west capacity within our transportation system.”

Alongside the widening of 23 Mile, the MCDR will install new storm drains, signs and markings, intersection enhancements, and new approaches for homes and businesses. Macomb Township will also perform water main and sanitary sewer work during the construction.

“Macomb County takes a comprehensive approach to managing our transportation network, making strategic investments in recent years to make much-needed improvements to 23 Mile Road,” Bryan Santo, Director of the MCDR, said via email. “Once the widening project is complete, motorists will experience improved traffic flow and functionality, along with new pavement throughout the corridor, creating a safer and more efficient roadway for all users.”

Macomb Township Supervisor Frank Viviano said he is relieved that the road-widening project is nearing completion.

“It took six years of the actual widening, but it took many years before that in the planning and the engineering,” Viviano said. “They’ve been going at this for a long time.”

Viviano is not looking forward to navigating the traffic but is hopeful that this summer will be less construction-congested than 2021.

“Cone season is never any fun for any of us,” Viviano said.

Despite the drudgery of “cone season,” Viviano said he sees a need for more road-widening projects in the township in order to match how it has grown over the years.

“Our north-south roads need a lot of [help],” Viviano said. “Hayes is not wide enough between Shelby and Macomb Township; that gets a severe amount of congestion. Romeo Plank is being worked on by the county now in the design phase; it’s probably the next major road that is going to get widened.”

According to Dimoff, the MCDR will start work on the Garfield Road expansion between 24 Mile and 25 Mile roads this year, along with repaving some neighborhood streets and performing preventative maintenance on the 21 Mile Road bridge over the Middle Branch of the Clinton River.

“Road construction is what it is,” Viviano said. “Costs are going up and up, and we’re trying to do our best to stretch our dollars.”