OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The construction of I-75 is causing numerous problems for the people living nearby.
You guessed it, it’s causing congestion on even the side streets in some places.
“I’ve seen half Mike back-ups on Holcomb either direction depending on the time of day,” said Tom Breneiser.
Breneiser, who lives in Clarkston, is complaining because multiple roads have been blocked off to through traffic.
Some drivers have even received tickets for trying to drive through.
Breneiser’s mainly concerned about first responders being able to make it in a timely manner.
“I had one incident where I ended up three or four minutes after the EMT arrived, my heart stopped. They immediately did CPR and brought me around quickly, so there was no permanent damage. Now if they’re delayed 5-10 mins because of streets being closed because of immense back-ups - I wouldn’t be here talking to you,” Breneiser said.
Breneiser isn’t the only one concerned, either.
“We are asking for something basic: access to our homes, the ability to get to work, to take our children to school, to move safely and freely in our own community,” said one woman during the meeting.
Several people came out to Independence Township to speak out against the closure of
Bluegrass and Miller roads near Holcomb road. Local 4 even heard from a man who lost his kid in the past.
“We, just in May, had a tragic event with my child, who ended up dying. It was 22 minutes to the station. No way to get on the highway if you had a medical emergency, this is a serious problem,” said a resident during the meeting.
Township officials say they’re working to find a solution, but it also depends on MDOT and the Road Commission of Oakland County to make that happen.
“We’re looking at everything possible we can do to try to alleviate it. We’re gonna keep trying and keep pushing,” said Township Supervisor Chuck Phyle.
MDOT’s saying there’s a reason for all of this with the following statement.
“MDOT has tried a number of different things with additional signage and warnings ahead of time. We’ve actually helped close some of the local roads to traffic to keep that detour traffic from going through some of the smaller neighborhoods.”