Beaconsfield reopens as county completes infrastructure project

EASTPOINTE — A section of Beaconsfield Avenue that was closed for over a year has reopened after a major underground infrastructure project was completed in Eastpointe.

In September 2022, Macomb County Public Works began excavation on what the department has called an “in-system storage” project on Beaconsfield Avenue, south of Nine Mile Road in Eastpointe.

Workers dug approximately 50 feet below ground to reach a sewer pipe, which they then removed a section of to install a rubber weir. The weir, or dam, can be inflated during a heavy rain event and then released to allow the flow to be sent to the Great Lakes Water Authority’s Detroit wastewater plant for proper treatment rather than being discharged into Lake St. Clair.

A press release from Macomb County Public Works states that the project will reduce combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, by approximately 10% to 15%. The project serves the drainage district that handles all the combined stormwater and sanitary flow from Eastpointe and 40% of St. Clair Shores, the press release states.

“This is a significant day and proves the commitment and political will by Macomb County to lead by example in the region by investing in underground infrastructure to protect Lake St. Clair and improve water quality,” Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said in a prepared statement. “Generations of people will benefit.”

Beaconsfield Avenue had been closed from Nine Mile Road south to Rosetta Avenue since the project began, but was reopened May 23.

Eastpointe City Manager Mariah Walton said city officials had not heard of any concerns from residents in the area during or after completion of the project.

“The county and contractors were very mindful of residents in the area and maintained contact to provide updates on the project so (the residents) were aware of what was happening and their timeframe,” she said in an email.

Walton added that the county also worked well with the city’s Department of Public Works and Service to keep them updated on the project.

“We appreciated the investment in the community,” she said.

The project cost $13 million and was funded mostly by American Rescue Plan Act funds, of which $8.8 million had been allocated by the Macomb County Board of Commissioners. Norb Franz, communications manager for Macomb County Public Works, said the remaining funding came from a combination of grants and drainage district funding. There was no increase in rates to the residents of Eastpointe and St. Clair Shores, he added.

In addition to the underground infrastructure work, the project also included new concrete pavement and curbs to restore the intersection of Beaconsfield Avenue and Oak Avenue.