DEARBORN – Since April, construction along the one mile stretch of Greenfield Road between Warren Ave. and Ford Road has impacted local businesses and caused drivers to be extra cautious while navigating that pothole-pockmarked street. 

Greenfield is one of the major roads in the city that’s managed by Wayne County. Last fall, the county unveiled plans to resurface both sides of the road this summer. Greenfield serves as a median between Detroit and Dearborn, with the Detroit border beginning on the west side of the road. 

Following the county’s announcement, both Dearborn and Detroit decided to construct a new water main under the road, before the county began the resurfacing project. The installation of the new water main began in April and is tentatively scheduled to be completed by mid-summer, after which the county will begin resurfacing both sides of the road. 

“The county can’t do the resurfacing project until the city’s water main project is done on the east, and Detroit’s project is done on the west,” said Dearborn Department of Public Information Director Mary Laundroche.

According to Laundroche, both cities figured it would be better to install the water main before the county resurfaced the road. That would avoid having to drill into the new pavement in a few years to install a water main.  She described it as a complicated situation.

The construction plans seems to have had impeccable timing on the county’s end, as Greenfield had been severely impacted following the harshest winter the state had seen in decades. Large potholes and cracks in the pavement made it increasingly difficult for drivers to successfully navigate the road. 

However, businesses on the Detroit side claim they were not warned that there would be construction occurring throughout the year. 

Magical Touch car wash owner Wissam Issa tells The Arab American News that his business has been impacted by the construction, but said a resurfacing project was long overdue on Greenfield.

“Before the construction, it became very bad, especially where we are,” Issa said.  “There are lot of potholes and I’ve seen people pop their tires right in front of the car wash. It’s going to be for the better. Even though it’s affecting us temporarily, I’m happy because it needed to be done.”

However, some residents claim that driving through the construction has caused even more damage to their vehicles than the potholes themselves. A result of the construction, drivers have had to travel around construction barrels, dump trucks and barriers, which have resulted in a few collisions. 

One local man told The Arab American News that he was driving his Honda northbound on Greenfield last week, when a major crack in the pavement caused by the construction popped a front tire and resulted in damages to his bumper. His vehicle incurred $700 worth of damages. 

Earlier this week, eye witnesses confirmed that a vehicle traveling northbound on Greenfield had driven off the left lane and nose dived into a construction ditch that was a few feet deep. The driver didn’t sustain any injuries, but Dearborn Police and a tow truck were called onto the scene.  

Laundroche urges residents to contact the city immediately if they see anything hazardous as a result of the construction.

“We do encourage drivers and residents to report dangerous situations that need to be addressed right away,” she said. “The best course of action is to report it to the police department before there is an accident.” 

Walid Mourad, owner of Dynamic Cleaners on the east side of Greenfield, said he commends the city of Dearborn for orchestrating a well organized construction operation.

Mourad said that he and other business owners were alerted about the construction months in advance, after receiving a letter from the city. He believes Greenfield hasn’t been as negatively impacted as previous construction projects that took place on Schaefer Road and Ford Road. 

 “They are working around-the-clock and they are moving fast as far as I know,” Mourad said. “For a major construction project, they are not doing bad at all. My customers have complained about the inconvenience, because on my side when they have major construction activities they might cut it down from two lanes to one lane. But I would say compared to other roads, we’ve been pretty lucky. Once all of this is finished, Greenfield will be one of the best streets in Dearborn.”

The construction project is scheduled to be completed in October. Residents are able to keep up with all construction projects occurring in the city by visiting the official construction blog page at //dearbornconstruction.wordpress.com/.