Rochester Road Construction Project Set To Disrupt Local Businesses For Nine Months

A major two-year road construction project slated to take place on Rochester Road between M-59 and the Clinton River Bridge is drawing concern from local business owners.

My original hometown of Rochester Hills has grown exponentially since I first moved there in 1989. Since then, the population has continued to grow, as well as the amount of traffic that frequents Rochester Road, which is a direct link to M-59 and I-75.

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The two-year project, which is supposed to take place in 2027 and end in 2028, is supposed to be a long-term fix for the road, but many business owners are worried that construction could affect their business.

John Fox, who is the president of Fox Automotive, spoke to WXYZ Detroit, as he is just one of the business owners who is disheartened when, after talking to MDOT, was essentially told that because they own the land, they are going to do whatever they want with it.

There’s only supposed to be construction for nine months next year, between March and November; however, because of the construction, one northbound and one southbound lane will be closed, which will cause trouble for businesses who only have one point of entry.

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MDOT hasn’t responded to inquiries about the project, although they originally said that they are trying to make sure that the construction doesn’t impact business in a way that will harm their well-being.

Every time I go back to Rochester, there seems to be more and more traffic, so a construction project like this will jam up travel between Rochester Hills and downtown Rochester.

While some approved of the project in the comment section and others disagreed, others made a great point about construction in Michigan; sometimes you just can't please anybody:

Do nothing and let the roads fall apart and people complain. Do something to fix the roads and people complain. Either way, people will complain.