MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – A crash causing property damage in Macomb County worries homeowners about their safety.
The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office said the crash involved a 17-year-old driver who was speeding Saturday (Dec. 14) and lost control of their vehicle. The car traveled off M-53, causing property damage to four backyards.
Those homeowners in Washington Township reached out to ClickOnDetroit’s Help Desk.
They said the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) denied their request for a wall or other large barrier to be built off M-53 to prevent this from happening in the future.
“My fear is someone is going to end up getting killed before something is done about this,” homeowner Lyndsey Carpenter said.
Carpenter said they fear for their kids’ safety when playing in the backyard.
“We put these trees here, but (the car) took out the trees when they came through,” Carpenter said. “We’re doing things, but obviously,y they just haven’t been enough.”
Carpenter sent a request to MDOT asking for a barrier, like a wall, to be built.
MDOT denied her request, explaining that the situation did not meet the necessary criteria for doing so.
“Our engineering decision is based on our roads being designed with a 34-foot ‘clear zone’ which is within the ‘right-of-way’ (ROW) and allows a driver to ‘recover’ if they lose control, assuming an appropriate speed is being driven,” a spokesperson from MDOT said in a statement.
Neighbors were disappointed by the response.
“Just to get blown off that quickly, it was very disappointing,” Carpenter said.
The MDOT spokesperson said they recognize the neighbors’ concerns and that a traffic study is underway, but it will take some time to get results.
“Unfortunately, MDOT cannot design for all possible mistakes/human error that could possibly occur on a roadway, including excessive speed,” said the MDOT spokesperson.
The concerned neighbors also called on Washington Township officials, who came to the scene and agreed something needed to be done.
MDOT said the neighbors are welcome to build their own barrier, like a wall, but it would be at their own expense.