FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A crash on I-696 caused major backups and big delays for first responders on Tuesday morning. It happened in the construction zone of the freeway near Drake Road.
"Unfortunately, we experienced gridlock in both and it resulted in about a 40-minute response time," Farmington Hills Fire Department Chief Jon Unruh said.
Video below shows the backed-up traffic:
It was a 40-minute blockage for first responders and a two-hour standstill for the rest of traffic. Tanya Strait said her husband was caught in the backup, and it caused their small family business, a window treatment company, a customer.
"We're thankful to learn the injuries are minor and we're keeping them all in our prayers," Strait said. "We rely on being timely within our arrival time frame and he had to keep contacting our customer to let them know it was a complete standstill. No way to exit."
Some people took time to stretch their legs, walk their dog and a few even played catch with a football.
"So, the challenging part of the construction for 696 is that there are no shoulders and as a result, there's no place for vehicles to go. They do their best to move over to the side of the road," the chief explained.
He shared a photo showing drivers trying to move out the way of the battalion chief pickup truck. That vehicle isn't nearly as big as the 8-foot-wide fire engines that tried to squeeze through cautiously.
Unruh said his crews now use a rope on the pickup truck to pull disabled vehicles out of the way instead of waiting for a tow truck.
"It's the struggle that we're encountering with the 696 construction. It's temporary. We know that. We attend routine meetings with MDOT. We try to get all the intelligent information that we can, and their plans for construction," he explained.
The chief said his department responds to an average of two traffic incidents on I-696 every single day and sometimes, as many as four incidents.
The Michigan Department of Transportation said one possible solution, on the front-end, is for drivers to follow the rules of the road.
MDOT spokesperson Diane Cross told 7 News Detroit, "Unfortunately, driver behavior, speeding, distracted driving, doing other things besides driving when they're behind the wheel. And in a construction you're supposed to go slower. Forty-five is the speed you should be doing in a construction."
Fortunately, Tuesday's crash resulted in minor injuries. However, Unruh said crews have responded to critical incidents in similar conditions where time is of the essence. He said unfortunately, it's the same lengthy response.
