DEARBORN, Mich. – A traffic light at the corner of Pelham and Dartmouth has been sitting on the ground for nearly two months and neighbors say the temporary stop signs put in its place aren’t cutting it.
The intersection sits right on the border of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, and that created a problem: nobody could figure out who was responsible for fixing it.
So, neighbors reached out to Local 4’s Lauren Kostiuk for help.
A car crash started it all
A car hit a utility pole, knocking out the traffic light at Pelham and Dartmouth. Crews put up temporary stop signs, but neighbors say those signs blow over or get hit.
“This is my home, and this to me is completely unacceptable,” said Tracy Baker, a Dearborn Heights resident. “These stop signs are knocked down and it’s not safe.”
Chuck Swanberry, another Dearborn Heights resident, said the light has been out for close to two months. He says he has picked up the fallen stop signs himself more than once.
“I’ve picked them up already a couple of times,” Swanberry said.
Sam Ramouni, who works at Dearborn Heights Automotive near the intersection, says drivers are visibly confused and it has even led to crashes.
“You can see it’s confusing. They don’t know what to do,” Ramouni said. “Nothing is getting done. It’s very frustrating.”
The tricky part: whose light is it?
The intersection straddles the city line between Dearborn and Dearborn Heights—and that made getting answers complicated.
Dearborn Heights told Local 4 the light is not their responsibility. Dearborn confirmed it is the city’s light, but said DTE took it down and never informed them. The city then had to order equipment before repairs could be scheduled.
DTE, however, tells Local 4 that Dearborn was notified on May 13 that the light was ready to go.
Repairs now scheduled for Friday
Dearborn says the traffic signals at Pelham and Dartmouth will be reinstalled this Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Neighbors say they are relieved but frustrated it took this long.
“Friday’s great,” Baker said. “But I think it is a month overdue, well overdue, and I think that somebody dropped the ball.”
Local 4 will continue to follow this story.