POTHOLE PATROL: Van Dyke between 9 Mile, 18 Mile roads identified as 'best' stretch

Stretch of road is oasis of smooth pavement in Metro Detroit

Van Dyke road sign. (WDIV)

MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – While Mound Road in Macomb County has been called one of the worst concrete roads ever traveled by anyone, a road that runs parallel just a mile to the east is being identified as one of the better ones in Metro Detroit right now. 

That stretch of road is Van Dyke (M-53) between 9 Mile and 18 Mile roads. Drivers are finding relief from the potholes on the newly repaved north-south stretch in Macomb County. We know this from our reader survey launched this week asking for the "best" roads in Metro Detroit instead of the worst -- there are too many "worst" roads. 

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So if you drive that area and you don't know by now, take Van Dyke instead of Mound Road. And here's the really good news: This summer, Mound Road will be completely resurfaced from 14 Mile to 18 Mile roads in both directions. The county announced the $10.2 million project this week. The funding is 80 percent federal, 10 percent city and 10 percent county funding.

Of course, now everyone will head over to Van Dyke, which will become heavily trafficked and eventually potholed, and the vicious cycle will continue, right?

We're still looking for the "best" roads in Metro Detroit to help everyone get around without destroying their vehicles with potholes -- let us know here. Van Dyke holds the title for now, but here are a couple of the honorable mentions: 

  • Maple Road between Orchard Lake and Drake roads
  • Hall Road between Garfield and Mound roads -- no surprise here, since the Hall Road reconstruction project was a massive and much-needed one

Meanwhile, here's what the Michigan Department of Transportation says about driving through a pothole: 

There are often two schools of thought on driving through potholes: speeding up to "jump" over them and jamming the brakes hard to hit them as slowly as possible. Both might work occasionally but the best way is somewhere in between. 

If you see a pothole ahead and can't safely steer to avoid it, it's best to slow down, then release the brakes before you hit the pothole. This helps to reduce the speed at impact as well as give your suspension the full range of travel to absorb the impact.

If you can't avoid the pothole, straighten your wheel to hit it squarely and roll through. Hitting a pothole at an angle can transfer the energy of impact in ways more likely to damage your vehicle.

How to report a pothole

Whether you hit a pothole or you missed it, you can save your fellow motorists the headache and costs of repairs by reporting it. If it's on a city street or county road, report it to your city public works department or county road commission.

If it's on state trunkline (I, M or US route), submit it to MDOT's Report a Pothole webpage or call it in to the Pothole Hotline at 888-296-4546.

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