Potholes are so bad in Michigan township that a public safety emergency has been declared
Pothole season could arrive early this year
Winter arrived early in Metro Detroit which means all the havoc that leftover moisture can leave will also be a threat sooner than expected. Potholes typically show themselves in March. But road crews expect them to be out later this week.
(FOX 2) - The roads are so bad in one Metro Detroit township that its supervisor has declared a public safety emergency.
According to Timothy Bowman, Sumpter Township's gravel roads are so dangerous they "pose a dire threat to public health and safety."
Some of those roads are virtually impassable, Bowman said in a statement, which is a notable declaration coming from a government official residing in a state famous for its potholes.
Big picture view:
Bowman has issued a plea for help due to the state of gravel roads in Sumpter Township, located in southern Wayne County, south of Bellville.
The condition of the roads is an inconvenience to township residents and a public safety problem for emergency services.
Many of the segments are "severely washboarded, rutted and potholed, contain standing water due to drainage failures, and significant segments of road are nearly impassable."
Dig deeper:
Bowman's declaration warns it takes residents additional time to get from place to place as well as their vehicles being damaged by the hazardous conditions.
"Most critically, the current hazardous condition of the gravel roads imposes an alarmingly significant delay in response time for emergency services — police, fire and ambulance," the statement reads.
That means transport of patients whose situation is deemed higher-level care would be compromised.
Zoom out:
After a brutally cold winter, Southeast Michigan has been caught in the middle of a freeze-thaw cycle.
Those conditions can be tough on pavement after moisture sinks into the material, freezing and expanding, before melting and creating pits in the road.
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Michigan's seesawing weather doesn't just mean whiplash from the elements for you — but your vehicle as well.
What's next:
Bowman and the township board of trustees invited Wayne County officials to drive the gravel roads and experience what their residents experience.
The letter also urges the county to take action and fix the roads. Wayne County is responsible for the maintenance and management of the roads in Sumpter Township.
The Source: A Declaration of Public Safety Emergency was cited for this story.