Eighty percent of Bloomfield Township's subdivision roads are rated "poor," and the township's Department of Public Works can only fix about 2 miles per year out of more than 200 miles in need.

The Road Advisory Committee is trying to close that gap, and it held its second consecutive weekly public hearing Wednesday, July 22, at the Township Auditorium.

The hearing ran from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at 4200 Telegraph Road. It followed the committee's first public session on Wednesday, July 15, at the same location.

The nine-member volunteer panel, formed in March 2025 and approved by the Board of Trustees, is tasked with researching repair strategies, exploring legislative funding opportunities, and recommending cost-effective solutions to the trustees. RAC Chairman Jeff Salz presented the Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating assessment to the board on Monday, October 13, 2025, according to the township's published update on the committee's work.

"Our budget is so tight in DPW that we can only really fix about 2 miles of roads every year out of the 200-plus miles that we have," Supervisor Mike McCready told C&G Newspapers in a June 29 interview about the upcoming road millage renewal.

The current financing mechanism for subdivision road repairs is the Special Assessment District process, in which residents take on the financial liability of a project and repay a township-issued bond on their tax bills over 10 to 15 years.

Detour traffic compounds the damage

An estimated 40,000 additional vehicles per day are flooding subdivision streets as drivers detour around I-696 and Square Lake Road construction, according to an estimate from Police Chief James Gallagher that McCready cited in his July 13 newsletter column. The township cannot redirect that traffic because major roads fall under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Road Commission for Oakland County.

Gallagher has deployed additional traffic officers in affected neighborhoods for the duration of the construction season, McCready wrote.

Road millage renewal on the August ballot

A 0.6575-mill road maintenance millage renewal will appear on the Tuesday, August 4, ballot. The millage, first approved in 1976 and last renewed in 2016 with 84% voter support, would collect an estimated $3,929,885 in its first year and cost the average homeowner about $193.44 annually.

Township Clerk Martin Brook described it as "a straight-up renewal" for 10 years when the Board of Trustees unanimously approved placing it on the ballot at its Monday, May 11, meeting.

McCready has warned that if the millage fails, the township would face a significant reduction in DPW services.

How to weigh in

Meeting outcomes from the July 22 hearing have not yet been posted. Residents with questions can contact Supervisor McCready's office at (248) 433-7725.