GARDEN CITY, Mich. (WXYZ) — Merriman Road on the border of Westland and Garden City has been closed for almost two years due to construction.
Residents and people who work in the area tell me they are fed up with how long it’s taking for the project to be completed.
“Let’s get it done,” said Jeff Kassab, manager of HandyMart.
Jeff Kassab runs the HandyMart convenience store on Merriman Road.
He says ever since construction started on the road back in January of 2023, the amount of traffic in the area declined and so did the number of customers coming into his store.
“Thank God for my regular customers, I love you Garden City and Westland but you know new faces we don’t see anymore,” said Kassab.
Kassab says he’s had to make some tough decisions in order for the store to stay afloat.
“We cut the payroll down, I had to get rid of employees, put in a few more hours myself,” said Kassab.
The Merriman construction project consists of two bridge replacements: one bridge over the Rouge River and the other over Hines Drive.
Originally, the project was expected to be completed by fall of 2023 but that didn’t go as planned.
“It’s been a pain in the rear,” said Nan Fyre of Garden City.
Nan Frye says the construction has been a huge inconvenience to her wallet.
“Gas-wise, it cost me more because just to get, I have to go down to either Middlebelt Road to circle around to get back on Merriman,” said Frye.
Frye and Kassab say they want to know what’s causing the delay and when the construction will be over.
I took their questions to Wayne County officials who couldn’t go on air but gave these answers to my questions.
As far as what is causing the delays, I’m told that:
“Difficulties arose due to a nearby sanitary line running parallel to Merriman Road. Continuing construction around the buried concrete debris from an old, abandoned wastewater treatment system posed a concern. This debris could potentially cause an existing sanitary sewer to shift, affecting the structural integrity of the sewer and resulting in further construction delays.”
As far as the completion date is concerned, it is slated to be done by the end of 2024 depending on the weather. As construction continues, we will continue to follow up with officials on the progress of the project.
