The Roads are the Worst Part of the Village
What Residents Say About our Roads
“Bloomfield Village has always relied on our neighbors working together to fix our roads. Since 1928 we’ve formed Special Assessment Districts to raise the funds necessary to improve our roads, and the time has come for us to do so again.” -Brian Kott, Village resident
“We live in such a beautiful neighborhood but the state of the roads is embarrassing, not to mention a safety issue. We’re overdue to solve the problem, for our neighborhood now and for the next generation.”
— Sarah McAfee, Village resident
This is not a New Problem
As early as 1928, Bloomfield Village residents began exploring ways to address our roads
When the Village was developed by Judson Bradway starting in the 1920s, dirt or gravel roads were the rule. Old photos show curbs and gutters along the road edges. The roads have undergone a number of changes and upgrades over time. From the beginning, the land owners in the Village bore the cost of road improvements.
Click here to read the detailed history of road projects/road campaign efforts in Bloomfield Village from the 1924 neighborhood origin to today.
Since we’ve waited 40 years…
Road Engineers now say we that the only way to achieve long lasting results is to completely rebuild Village roads.
Government Is Unable to Help
We have met with leaders from Bloomfield Township and the Road Commission of Oakland County, and have spoken with county and state officials. We received the same answer from all: there is no state or federal funding available for Bloomfield Village roads.
According to the Road Commission and Bloomfield Township, there are two main reasons why it’s incumbent on residents of Bloomfield Township neighborhoods to pay for their own road improvements — first and foremost, the Road Commission owns the neighborhood roads in Oakland County. The Road Commission receives state funding from gas taxes under Act 51 and uses that money to maintain the roads, which means plowing, repairing drainage issues, patching potholes and routine maintenance. The Road Commission contracts with Bloomfield Township for these services, which is why we see Township plows and patching crews on Village streets. The Road Commission does not have sufficient funding to pay for improvements in neighborhood roads.
Since Bloomfield Township doesn’t own any roads, they don’t receive any federal or state funding for road improvements. By contrast, cities like Birmingham own their roads, and can levy taxes for road maintenance and improvements - Bloomfield Township cannot. This means that residents in the Township have “benefitted” over time from lower tax rates than cities and villages that own their roads and collect property taxes to fund improvements in them. It also means that, sooner or later, the Village residents will have to pay to improve their roads. Unfortunately, there is no cavalry coming to save us from our current road predicament.
What Does the Road Commission Say?
“Any township road in Oakland County, the only way to improve [the roads] is through a special assessment district. They are never going to be repaved by the county. We agreed to maintain them, but not repave them. That is the case in every township subdivision in the state.”
-Craig Bryson,
Oakland County Road Commission
