WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – We know road crews are hard at work all over Metro Detroit, but the work of one crew created a big mess and a safety concern for some living in Waterford Township
The area being impacted is along Lochaven Road, large quantities of dirt used for road grading are spread through the area. Road crews were sent out to smooth the stretch of roadway, but residents said they were told the crew was new on the job and that they’ve only made things worse.
Piles of dirt are making it difficult for residents to get their mail or remove trash cans.
An 81-year-old woman was injured taking her trash cans in. The large piles of mud are a bit of a climb for her and she fell.
Help Me Hank reached out to Craig Bryson, with the Road Commission for Oakland County, and within an hour, a crew came out to smooth everything over. The change made a big difference.
The Road Commission for Oakland County released the following statement regarding the incident:
“We appreciate WDIV’s Hank Winchester letting us know about the windrow in front of the home on the gravel section of Lochaven Road in Waterford Township. We were saddened to hear about the resident’s fall and we wish her the best.
While we always attempt to avoid the creation of excessive windrows along the edges of gravel roads, due to the nature of the gravel-road grading process, some degree of windrow is inevitable. Because gravel road surfaces are dynamic, and the road-surface level can fluctuate depending on the season, the weather, the road conditions and other factors, our general rule of thumb is that it is the responsibility of the homeowners to adjust their driveway to the ever-changing road surface.
In cases where larger-than-normal windrows are inadvertently created, it is the Road Commission’s goal to reduce those berms as quickly as staffing and equipment availability allow.
In this case, we will have staff addressing the issue before the end of the day.”
Craig Bryson, Senior Communications Manager, Road Commission for Oakland County