DETROIT — Next week temperatures will climb back above freezing, which means potholes are in our future.
Each year Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties spend on average $3 million to $5 million filling potholes.
In Oakland County, they are planning on nearly 9,000 man-hours to patch potholes this year. In Wayne, they plan on using 350 tons of patch. In Macomb, they say more funding is needed.
“It is unfortunate that we have this expectation and it has become somewhat seasonal that we have to worry about potholes in the state of Michigan,” said Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel.
All three counties tell 7 Action News they expect to see an uptick in potholes next week. The busiest roads will take priority.
“Just like we prioritize salting and plowing, we prioritize pothole patching,” said Craig Bryson, communications manager for the Road Commission for Oakland County.
All three counties will be monitoring roadways prone to potholes.
Oakland County:
- John R between Big Beaver and Long Lake in Troy
- Maple Road between Crooks and Coolidge in Troy
- Big Beaver between Rochester and Dequindre.
- Silverbell, Giddings and Brown surrounding the Lake Orion GM Assembly Plant
Wayne County:
- Haggerty between Ecorse and Van Born in Belleville
- Hamtramck Drive between Conant and Joseph Campau, near the Detroit GM Assembly Plant
Macomb County:
- Garfield between 17 Mile and 19 Mile in Clinton Township
- Mound between 18 Mile and M-59 in Sterling Heights
- 10 Mile Between Dequindre and Ryan Road in Warren
“Roads that are prone to getting or developing potholes are based on two things, one factor is that, that particular road has a poor drainage system. The other factor would be the heavy, heavy-duty traffic that it sees,” said Steve Shaya, Deputy Director of Roads for Wayne County.
Each county told 7 Action News progress has been made. For example, Mount Road in Macomb County has seen work. However, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel says more funding is needed to stop making temporary fixes.
“The unfortunate reality is, there is so many roads that there is such challenging situations or conditions right now it is hard to get ahead of, admittedly we are not going to. It’s just going to be filling potholes and hoping that the state comes up with funding that can help support our roads,” said Hackel.
To report potholes in each county:
Oakland: Call 877-858-4804 or you can report it online.
Wayne: Call 1-888-ROAD CREW or call 1-888-762-3273 or you can report it online.
Macomb: Call 586-463-8671 or report it online. Hackel says if the pothole is causing extreme destruction people can call 911.
