By: McKenna Golat | Southfield Sun | Published December 11, 2025
LATHRUP VILLAGE — The Road Commission for Oakland County gave a presentation on the proposed Southfield Road Improvement Project at the Dec. 1 Lathrup Village City Council study session.
If approved, this project would see the section of Southfield Road from Mount Vernon Street to 13 Mile Road transform from a five-lane road into a six-lane road and four-lane boulevard. It is anticipated that construction would begin in the 2030 fiscal year.
The Road Commission for Oakland County needs to know by Jan. 6 if the city of Lathrup Village is committed to the project. As such, this item will be an action item on the agenda at the Dec. 15 City Council meeting.
The proposed project has been in discussion since 2002, but it has not gotten out of the planning phase because all the communities surrounding this section of road will need to approve it.
“The goal of this project is to improve current and future traffic congestion, accommodate all modes of transportation and improve safety on Southfield Road,” said Mike Smith, Road Commission for Oakland County manager of project development.
Additionally, the project would allow the communities to improve infrastructure, such as water mains and sewer lines. These improvements would be noted during the design phase of the project and addressed during construction.
“Realistically, construction for the project would not happen until seven years down the road,” Lathrup Village City Manager Mike Greene said. “At that point, the (infrastructure) would already be scheduled for replacement.”
The estimated total cost of the Southfield Road Improvement Project is $200 million. However, the project would be broken down into segments to help with the cost, with the first segments costing an estimated $100 million.
Additionally, this $100 million would be further broken down to an 80/20 split between federal and local funds. An estimated $20 million would be split between the Road Commission, Southfield and Lathrup Village. Beverly Hills will not yet be involved, as the first segments do not reach its border.
This would bring the estimated total from Lathrup Village to $3.75 million.
Road Commission for Oakland County Deputy Managing Director Gary Piotrowicz said the Road Commission has tentative plans to meet with Southfield in early January to seek the city’s commitment to the project.