Changes Coming to West Bloomfield's Most Dangerous Intersection

The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) Board and West Bloomfield Township have reached an agreement that will widen and resurface the Maple Road/Orchard Lake Road intersection and turn Orchard Lake Road, from 14 Mile to south of Maple, into a four-lane boulevard.

The plan calls for the construction of dual left-turn lanes at the intersection for north to west traffic and for west to south traffic as well as the addition of a right-turn lane for traffic traveling south on Orchard Lake and turning west on Maple. Additionally, the entire intersection will be resurfaced with asphalt.

A press release issued by RCOC indicates work will start in either 2015 or 2016.

“We are very pleased that we could reach an agreement with our partners at West Bloomfield Township. Our staff worked very hard to meet the needs of our customers, the motorists using the roads, as well as support the Township’s vision for the future of the Orchard Lake Road corridor which is integral to this area’s development,” RCOC Chairman Greg Jamian said.

"Orchard Lake Road is the gateway to our community,” West Bloomfield Township Supervisor Michele Economou Ureste said. “Collaboration between the Township and the Road Commission made this intersection project possible."

According to Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) crash statistics released last year, the intersection is the most dangerous in the township, with 50 crashes reported between 2007 and 2012. It's the fifth most dangerous in Oakland County.

The agreement ends several years of discussions about the future of the intersection, which is part of the ongoing Northwestern Connector project. In 2014, construction will start on a roundabout at 14 Mile and Orchard Lake that is also part of a plan designed to reduce traffic congestion.

The first phase of the project included constructing roundabouts at the intersections of Maple Road/Farmington Road, Maple Road/Drake Road and 14 Mile/Farmington Road.

“We are very pleased that we were all able to compromise and find a solution that everybody could live with,” RCOC Commissioner Eric Wilson said. “We all put a lot of time into this, and that commitment has paid off.”

The Maple/Orchard Lake intersection project is expected to cost approximately $2.7 million to construct. The Township will pay the cost of the construction, with the Road Commission providing the construction engineering services and overseeing the project.