Residents of Garden City and Westland Face Long-Term Road Closure Woes

Residents of Garden City and Westland, living alongside Merriman Road, have had to deal with a road closure that has lasted almost two years due to ongoing construction works. The lengthy period of the road closure has led to mounting frustrations and has had a significant impact on the community’s daily lifelines.

“Let’s get it done already,” says Jeff Kassab, who manages the HandyMart convenience store on Merriman Road. ‘Since the start of the construction back in January 2023, traffic flow in the area has dropped dramatically, resulting in fewer customers at his store. “Thank God for my regular customers“, he added.

Due to the decrease in the number of customers, Jeff has had to make some tough calls to keep his business running, including letting go off some of his employees and putting in extra hours himself.

The construction works on Merriman Road involve the replacement of two bridges; one over the Rouge River and the other across Hines Drive. These construction works were scheduled to be completed by fall 2023, but they seem to have run over time, leading to hardships for the residents such as Nan Fyre of Garden City. “It’s been a huge inconvenience,” she admits, saying that having to detour has led to more fuel expenses.”

Wayne County officials, in response to queries from the locals, have stated that the delays are due to unexpected difficulties, largely related to a “nearby sanitary line running parallel to Merriman Road”. Additionally, they said that construction had to be carried out cautiously around concrete debris from an old, abandoned wastewater treatment system buried near the site. These unexpected issues might have led to the construction project taking longer than initially planned.

The construction is expected to wrap up ‘by the end of 2024, weather permitting,‘ the officials stated. As the residents continue to brave on, their hope is that this date is adhered to, so they finally get to enjoy a smooth ride down Merriman Road once more.