It’s a day commuters in Wayne County have waited a long time for—the reopening of Merriman Road. This closure lasted a lot longer than expected, which is why many local businesses were impacted.
When it comes to replacing bridges, digging up the road and laying down that foundation, sometimes the unexpected happens. Unfortunately, that’s what happened with this project. It was supposed to be finished in fall 2023, so it’s been tough for the community.
In August, Handy Mart, which sits right in front of the closure just south of Warren Road, store manager Jeff Kassab said he wasn’t happy about how long the closure has lasted.
“I know it as the day they screwed my business over,” said Kassab.
January 2023 was when it shut down for bridge repairs. It was supposed to be finished in the fall of 2023. However, the bridge needed to be redesigned mid-project when construction crews ran into a sanitary line that ran parallel to Merriman Road.
“So that is when we had to go back to the drawing board and redesign part of this project so that we were not impeding on that sanitary sewer line and damaging it or creating future issues where it might be damaged,” said Deputy Director of Public Services Scott Cabauatan.
Cabauatan said it’s been an extremely delicate project working around the sewer line, building two new bridges, resurfacing the road and improving traffic signals.
“And by doing a project like this, the whole goal behind this is that we’re not here in a couple more years doing something else. These are long-term projects,” said Cabauatan.
But with Merriman Road closed, it did have its consequences for local businesses like the Handy Mart.
“No new faces because there’s no traffic here; it’s just dead,” said Kassab.
But now, as Merriman Road prepares to reopen, Kassab is ready for more business.
“We’re ready. I got three people on call to bring them back to work so we can get busy again,” said Kassab.
In fact, he’s hoping to remind his old customers of the great pepperoni rolls and the Handy Mart offers—offering a deal on them for a week as soon as the bridge opens.
“Well, come on back down. Buy one, get one free pepperoni roll. Right up when the bridge is done,” said Kassab.
As crews put the finishing touches, the Wayne County Department of Public Services is grateful for this project to be done and for the nearby businesses to see traffic once again.
“We appreciate their patience,” said Cabauatan. I know this has been a tough time. We do appreciate their patience."