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Paving work along Mound Road in Warren was expected to wrap up on Dec. 18.
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
WARREN — If you’ve traveled on Mound Road in Warren, you’ve likely experienced slowdowns, lane closures, and felt captive by construction. Recent weeks have seen noticeable progress, and many have asked, “When will this end?”
“All road paving work is complete on Mound Road between I-696 and M-59 and the road is anticipated to open to traffic on Monday, December 18,” Macomb County Department of Roads Director Bryan Santo said in a written statement.
The “Innovate Mound” project is more than 85% complete, according to Santo. Final landscaping and restoration work is anticipated to be completed in 2024.
“As part of Innovate Mound, we are installing state of the art technology and high-performance pavement to deliver a safe and smooth traveling experience for all road users,” said Santo. “We’re building a high-quality, long-lasting roadway to create a modern, efficient, and reliable corridor that will serve our community for decades to come.”
Weather affects all construction work, according to the director. The date is a projection and is subject to change.
“There will be additional single lane closures to complete remaining work on Mound Road in the winter and spring,” said Santo.
Other related work taking place this winter includes Bear Creek box culvert construction, utility relocation, traffic signal mast arm installation, and installation of lighting within the median by DTE Energy, said Santo.
In the spring, the county plans construction of the 8-foot-wide path between 15 Mile Road and 18 Mile Road. Permanent pavement markings will be installed. Median landscaping, equipment installation and testing of the intelligent transportation system network will also be completed, according to the director.
When the Innovate Mound project is completed, the focus will turn to another segment of the Mound corridor, from Eight Mile Road to Interstate 696 in Warren.
The Macomb County Department of Roads is conducting preliminary engineering work, is exploring funding and grant opportunities, and has met with community stakeholders to prepare for the future reconstruction of a segment of Mound Road south of the freeway, according to Santo.
“Due to the work required on Mound Road between Eight Mile Road and I-696, the project is not economically feasible with county and local community funds alone. To fund reconstruction of the corridor, Macomb County, Warren, and community stakeholders are pursuing federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant program. The grant application was submitted in August this year, which included letters of support from stakeholders to strengthen the project application,” Santo said.
