In a sudden about-face, the Eastpointe City Council has axed its controversial "road diet" for East 9 Mile Road, conceding to threats from the state that a failure to comply would result in a loss of critical funding. The original plan sought to streamline a portion of the road from five lanes down to three in an effort aimed at traffic calming and pedestrian safety, as reported by The Detroit Free Press.
The decision switched gears following a missive from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) which fired a warning shot last Friday—comply with existing agreements or face the music of defunded projects. "Nine Mile is in terrible condition and still has to be repaired and maintained and if we lose the federal funding, we do not have the money to fix it," Councilman Rob Baker told The Detroit Free Press, highlighting the direness of the situation. The council's Tuesday night vote resulted in a 4-1 tally favoring the stick to the original five-lane configuration.
Local businesses had been vocal about their concerns, with Eastpointe staples such as DeRonne Hardware actively campaigning against the reduction. Christina Denomme, a manager at DeRonne, echoed a common sentiment among business owners and residents fearing increased congestion, “Residents have said I'm going to avoid 9 Mile like the plague if it goes to three lanes because I don't want to deal with traffic," she expressed in an interview provided by WXYZ.
While the council voted to maintain the five-lane structure during Phase Two of the reconstruction, spanning from Pleasant to Tuscany avenues, there looms the possibility of a three-lane plan being reconsidered for Phase Three, which includes the stretch from Tuscany Avenue to Interstate 94. Amid the reveal of the council's decision, a vanquished hope remains for Councilman Cardi DeMonaco, the solitary 'nay' vote who, in a moment snared by uncertainty, affirmed the potential openness for Phase Three to be revised, "There’s still phase three where we could still do a road diet on a portion of 9 Mile, just not the whole section we were talking about," DeMonaco told ClickOnDetroit.
Eastpointe's foray into the realm of road diets has thus been clipped, leaving the city to navigate the balance between progress, safety, and fiscal responsibility. The disapproval of MDOT's conditioned funding has rung out clearer than any traffic congestion could, steering the city council to stay the course with its federally supported, five-lane roadways, much to the relief, and yet, the vexation of some community members.
