WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Drivers say a one-mile stretch of Dequindre Road between 13 Mile and 14 Mile roads has deteriorated so badly it has become one of the area's worst roads, and the Macomb County Department of Roads says a permanent fix depends on federal funding that has yet to be secured.
The stretch, which runs along the border of Warren and Madison Heights, is riddled with potholes, cracks and patchwork repairs that drivers say have made the road nearly undriveable.
Watch the video report below:
"You've got to be on your toes — there's potholes everywhere. It's just a mess. Worst road," Doug Reddin said.
"Dequindre is terrible. It's pretty pretty bad," Juan Mitchell said.
"It's been like this for at least 10 years," Pete Colangelo said.
The road is lined with hubcaps, center caps and vehicles pulled over to check for flat tires after hitting the crater-like potholes. Drivers say the damage forces them to watch not just the road, but the cars around them.
"You've got to watch the cars in front of you because they're jumping out," Reddin said.
Colangelo reached out to 7 News Detroit looking for answers, prompting me to take drivers' concerns directly to the Macomb County Department of Roads.
"I've actually had to change my route because it's not drive able anymore," Colangelo said. "It's patch after patch and the patches obviously don't last and the road is just, it needs to be ground and redone. It's not drivable."
Macomb County Department of Roads Director Bryan Santo acknowledged the road's condition and said the commission has applied for federal funding to fix several miles of county roadways, including the stretch of Dequindre. The project is part of a larger effort that would cost over $60 million.
"We've got it on our radar just as well as a lot of other areas in the county," Santo said.
Watch our full interview with Bryan Santo below:
While the commission pursues that long-term funding, Santo said crews plan to apply a pavement preservation overlay — a process in which new asphalt is laid over the existing road as a temporary fix — in the coming months.
"We are looking at some pavement preservation programs on Dequindre currently this year to buy the time until we get enough funding to reconstruct that roadway as it should be," Santo said.
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Santo said the work is expected to begin once asphalt plants reopen for the season.
"As soon as the asphalt plants start opening up in the next couple months here, we'll see crews out on our roadways with the orange barrels — our state flower during construction season — to get us underway to repair some of these areas that are in dire need," Santo said.
Shortly after the interview concluded, Macomb County road crews arrived and began filling potholes in both directions on the stretch.
Until major repairs are approved and funded, drivers are left navigating the cracks and dodging the holes.
"I would like to see better conditions for the working people," Mitchell said.
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"Just grind it all down, remove the cement and just new asphalt for that strip at least for now," Colangelo said.
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