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Cass Avenue resident Todd Block put signs out along the busy street, offering his property to developers.Cass widening worries Clinton Twp. neighbors
Residents, business owners along the two-lane street wait for word on how project could affect them.
Block's signs list the property's assets for potential buyers. "I don't want to wait around to see what's going to happen," Block says.
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CLINTON TOWNSHIP -- Steve Zablocki's house sits several yards from busy Cass Avenue -- but someday, the parade of cars will whiz by mere feet from his front porch.
Zablocki is among the residents and business owners on Cass who are waiting for word on the proposed widening of the two-lane street. The Road Commission of Macomb County plans to add three lanes to Cass between Groesbeck and Heydenreich to accommodate the increasing number of vehicles that use that stretch of road.
But last month, state officials announced they were cutting at least $25 million to road commissions throughout Michigan because high gas prices are causing consumers to purchase less gasoline. Most money for Michigan roads comes from fuel taxes and the rest from municipal, state and federal governments.
Macomb County road officials say they still plan to widen Cass -- it's just a matter of when. Plans did call for starting the $4 million project next year, but, for now, the plan is on hold.
Meanwhile, residents like Zablocki remain in limbo. And at least one of his neighbors is marketing his property to developers via hand-lettered signs.
"It concerns me a lot, because they're going to have to take 30 feet from my front yard," Zablocki said. "When that happens, my house is going to be awfully close to the road. So this thing is going to happen, but I don't know when."
Because of the decline in gas tax revenue, the Road Commission of Macomb County plans to spend $2 million less in 2006 than this year, when it received about $37.4 million from the state.
That means the widening of Cass has been pushed back by about eight months, said Robert Hoepfner, chief highway engineer for the road commission.
"We had hoped to start in April 2006, but now we're looking at October or November," Hoepfner said. "We're designing the project right now, and will advertise for construction some time in August or September 2006. We hope to have a contractor on line by October 1, 2006, and we could be putting in storm sewers in October or November, and actual pavement in 2007."
One homeowner decided not to wait. Todd Block decided to sell his house on Cass, so he put out handwritten signs along the busy street, offering his property to developers.
"I don't want to wait around to see what's going to happen," Block said. "People are telling me to wait around to see if the property value goes up, or to see how much the county will give us for the property. But when you think about the construction, and the congestion -- it's not worth it."
County road engineers plan to acquire land on both sides of Cass for the widening projects. Some spots, like the 150-year-old Clinton Grove Cemetery, which is on the north side of the street, cannot be developed, because it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
"We're going to try not to take anyone's houses," Hoepfner said. "We will take part of some front yards, though. (The project) may affect the repair shop."
Hoepfner was referring to Hillcrest Auto Electric, which Carl Kamin has owned for 27 years. The auto repair shop is across the street from Clinton Grove Cemetery.
"We don't know exactly what's going on," Kamin said. "Nobody knows. We're hearing 20 different things. I've heard they were going to take this side of the street, and we've heard they're going to take part of the cemetery. So now, we're just waiting."
Residents and business owners have not been informed about the county's plans, because the plans are not yet official, Hoepfner said.
You can reach George Hunter at (586) 468-7396 or ghunter@detnews.com.
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