LINCOLN PARK, Mich. – Ever since Emmons Street in Lincoln Park was resurfaced between Fort Street and River Drive in October, you could say the people living there are stuck, literally.
"It smells, it melts, there's tar everywhere and it's been this way for months," said Nancy Bartush, who rides her bike on Emmons Street every day. "The project just wasn't done right in the first place."
Here's the problem: Whenever the hot sun hits Emmons Street, it melts, leaving tire tracks embedded in the road and tar on the residents driveways, including the driveway of Phil Henry's auto repair shop.
"The road is melting," said Henry. "You hear noises and it sounds like people are driving through water and slipping and sliding."
Henry needs to call in professionals to try and remove the tar tracks from his property.
The mayor of Lincoln Park tells Local 4 the road construction project was rushed back in October and the tar and gravel were applied to a wet street surface. Because of that, on hot days, the moisture underneath the materials evaporates and softens the tar, causing it to stick on just about everything but the pavement.
"We know this is a problem, I live on the next street over and it's a mess," said Mayor Patricia Krause. "We are doing everything we can to fix this, so far we've had the contactor put gravel down so it gets embedded in the road."
Krause tells Local 4 the original contractors are scheduled to repair Emmons Street this week and wants the residents to know their should be a permanent solution by the end of next week.