STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A year ago, Mound Road was a cash cow for quick-change tire companies and tow trucks, but for everyone else, it was a disaster.
As drivers damaged cars on exposed metal from crumbling concrete, patching crews scrambled to keep the road together, but little could be done. No band-aid seemed big enough.
As it turns out, Macomb County was thinking big — they were working a deal with the federal government to get one of the largest grants for a local road, but that fix was still several years away. That’s why in February 2018, the county and the City of Sterling Heights teamed up to announce emergency funding to the tune of $10 million to mill and pave the road. Today, the road looks completely different.
“It was bad, possibly one of the worst roads in the county, if not the state,” said Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel.
The funding mechanism essentially spent money from Macomb County and Sterling Heights a year before it would be able to be reimbursed — that meant losing $2 million, but business owners who rely on Mound Road traffic told 7 Action News it was the type of move that was necessary.
“Some customers were complaining, some weren’t coming to our neighborhood because of the Mound potholes,” said Mike Sobh, the owner of Kabob Hut on Mound between 16 and 17 Mile.
According to Sobh, the construction added to the stress — but now a year after the disastrous February, business is coming back.
“It’s picking back up — about 80-85 percent.”
Drivers inside the restaurant chimed in saying that they feel safer — driving the road now, it feels like the entire area has been transformed, but Hackel noted that the lifespan of the fix is only meant to keep the area pristine until the massive construction project that’s in planning stages now.
“The good news is that we’ve shored this up enough to not spend good money after bad,” said Hackel.
He said they’ve even freed money up to spend on other trouble spots that have popped up this year, which will help keep the county from having a second “Mound Road problem.” Still, there’s a hopeful eye to the future because the long-term fix is expected to be a game-changer — an overhaul of Mound from I-696 to Hall Road.
