STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – Macomb County drivers can finally rejoice as improvements to Mound Road have officially been completed.
Road work started over the summer as a bandage for the serious pothole problems in multiple cities. But that bandage is only temporary, and the 18-mile project the country talked about two years ago is now officially going to happen.
The holiday is the busiest time of the year for the catering side of Frank's Chicken. Employees will be working around the clock to get everything ready, which means a wide open Mound Road is the best news they could get.
During the construction, sales were down 30-40 percent, according to Lisa Ramsey.
The project was a necessary evil, though, as the Mound Road potholes had become a safety hazard. Local, state and federal leaders got together and found funding to get the road fixed temporarily.
Mound Road has a brand-new surface north of 14 Mile Road to Hall Road. The section south of 14 Mile Road was a cheaper fix.
An idea labeled "Innovate Mound" was floated two years ago. It proposed completely rebuilding Mound Road from I-696 to hall Road. The problem was funding, which has been solved with federal grants.
Officials said that larger construction project could begin late next year.
The new project will be done in two-mile increments, shutting down two lanes at a time, officials said.
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said the project will construct a smart road with interconnectivity to traffic signals, GPS traffic speed monitoring, flow improvement and more.
"This will transform Mound from one of the worst roads to one of the most advanced in the entire country," Hackel said.
Click here to visit the Innovate Mound website, where you can sign up for alerts for specific closures.