R. Burton:

Unfortunately, there simply is NO money available for paving Lake Angelus Road. This road is under the jurisdiction of the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC). RCOC has nearly 800 miles of gravel roads under its jurisdiction. We receive enough federal funding each year to pave one mile of gravel road per year. However, Lake Angelus Road is not designated by the Federal Highway Administration as being "federal aid eligible." That means we couldn't spend the federal funding on that road even if we wanted to. Unfortunately, there is NO other source of funding to pave the road, so it is not likely to be paved in the foreseeable future.

On the issue of the speed limit: The speed limits on gravel county roads are required to be set in accordance with the state law. State law designates the speed on gravel roads based on how many roads, side streets, driveways, alleys, etc. intersect the road. In the case of Lake Angelus Road, state law dictates that the speed limit be 55 MPH. Of course, this carries with it the requirement that all drivers must drive at speeds appropriate for the conditions at the time they are driving.
- Road Commission for Oakland County

I believe that most everyone is aware of the situation with Lake Angelus Rd. We just don't like that the government agencies are forced to wait until there is a terrible accident or worse before admitting that something needs to be done. This is a dangerous road at 55mph. At the very least a guard rail needs to be placed on the south side of the road, east of Mann Rd. There is a serious drop off (deep gully) and at least once a month a car ends up down in it. Usually because they are following the speed limit!

Well, this State Law for gravel roads turned Lake Angelus Rd, Whipple Lake Rd, the gravel section of Sashabaw Rd, Granger Rd, and countless other rural roads into Super Speedways.

Might I ask where one could send accident scene pictures and police reports to? That way, the "Powers That Be" can see first hand what their brilliant ruling of speed limits has done to some poor family?

I've lived off Lake Angelus Rd for over ten years and I never had a problem with the previous speed limit of 25 mph. Now that the local law enforcement can't write speeding tickets anymore, their patrols have dropped to ZERO. Main problem with this is with no police presence, crime rates tend to climb since a would be thief is not intimidated by roaming patrols.

Not to mention, with the increased speeds, the Road Commision must have higher maintenance costs.

We sure got a lot of Rhodes Scholars over there in Lansing.

R. Burton:

Please understand this change to the state law regarding speed limits was made by the state legislature, not the Road Commission. Also, please keep in mind that the speed limit does not mean you must drive 55. It means you are to drive a save and reasonable speed for the road conditions at the time you are driving. However, both our speed studies and those of the State Police indicate that in most cases, most drivers were already doing that, regardless of the speed limits. That means that on most gravel roads where the speed limit used to be 25, most people have always driven about 35 anyway, as very few motorists were adhering to the artificially low limit.

Road Commission for Oakland County

SO WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO GET FUNDS TO PAVE THIS ROAD?

To Road Commision;

I understand it's not your ruling, that is why I asked where to send the photos/reports and made the comment towards Lansing and not your department.

Again, NORMAL people will maintain 35 mph but with so many idiots on the road these days,( the need for the ban on texting while driving is proof enough), and the 55 mph speed limit resulting in the lack of Police patrols has resulted in unsafe driving practices and worse road conditions.
I've never seen Lake Angelus Rd so "washboarded" in my ten years here.

If the road was paved,( I am aware there are three municipalities involved with one being very much opposed to paving), 35 mph would more than likely be the posted speed limit due to the road configuration. This would increase Police patrols due to the revenue generated from speeding tickets and keep more of our local Government employees working.

Instead of a "It's not us" reply, how about providing information for your residents so that we may voice our opinions and concerns to the appropriate office.

It doesnt seem as though they will help, but keep leaving comments every where and soon some will have to listen.

Pave and Enforce:

We are listing. However, as noted, there is no money to pave the road. Please leave messages for the state legislators who control road funding.

Road Commission

I've lived here about 2 years now, and while some people speed I don't think I've ever seen anyone doing 55 mph-the road conditions generally are too terrible (I've already had to replace my suspension). I'd like it paved but if there are no funds then keep a regular grading schedule and put up 35 mph signs (please-no 25 mph-my car almost idles faster than that) and have parents watch their kids..I've had many LITTLE, UN-SUPERVISED kids fly out of drives and lawns on bikes that don't even bother to look for traffic no matter what speed it moves at and there are no adults to be seen!

The reason the 25mph signs were taken down was because Oakland county was breaking state law. I'm more than @#$% about this because I had received a speeding ticket apparently unlawfully. Most people self regulate their speed to the road conditions, which seems to be around 35-40mph, well under the state limit. If the residents who live on Lk Angelus Rd want it to be 25mph.... then I guess you all should NOT have turned down the road commisions request to pave the road, which would have set a speed limit. LOL!!!!!!! YOU ALL GOT WHAT YOU ASKED FOR!!!!

There may be no funding to pave the road, but the residents on Lk Angelus Rd can pay road commision to pave it just like I was forced to pay for my gravel road to be paved against my will because a majority of the residents on my street signed a petition.

BTW, I just hope you all know that when and if Lk Angelus Rd does get paved and they set a 25mph speed limit....... its not going to stop the massive influx of NEW traffic that will now be passing through to and from Balwin instead of going to Maybe Rd.

In the years since this request was initially posted, I have seen a significant police presence (Auburn Hills) for motorists cutting through the neighborhood off of Alberta and making right turns onto Lake Angelus Road. Not a week goes by that I don't see someone ticketed around rush hour for doing this, most likely because they are trying to avoid the horrible potholes on the entrance to Baldwin and the constant washboard on the eastern end of this road.

What is the RCOC budget for maintenance/grading/spraying of this gravel road? I would think if the cost of this over the years has more than paid for paving?! I know it is not under their control, but this is a short term solution to a long and very expensive problem.

Ask the Lake Angelus residents!!! OCRC, Waterford and Auburn Hills were all set to pave this back in 2005 when budgets existed.... THEN, Lake Angelus elects a new council which revisits and adds more demands to a list that had already been achieved.... these are also the people cutting the the Alberta neighborhood in 75K vehicles!!!

I've lived off that road for 13 years.... the folks that drive 15-20 are the biggest problem.....

ex-wife successfully fought ticket and won.... ill informed Auburn Hills cop thought the signs were right, but had all the documentation to back this up in 2008....

at that point, i volunteered to remove the 25 mph signs for the county

Lake Angelus must subsidize additional grading and treatment of this road, it's done quite frequently..

This weekend when coming home at night, both on Friday and Saturday nights, there were what appeared to be bad accidents on Lake Angelus Rd. There was a fire truck, ambulance and a couple of police cars both nights. This road is so terrible. People drive in the center of the road because they are avoiding the potholes on either side. Some areas are so bad that you CAN'T go faster than about 5 mph because your car just bounces up and down. We've recently had $2,000 worth of repairs to our vehicles due to this road, and we've only lived in that area for 6 months. None of our friends want to come visit us because they won't want to travel this road.

If there is no money to pave it, please, please grade it more often--every few days, especially after rainy days. I'm one of those people who drives 15-20 because I refuse to destroy my car by trying to drive faster than that on all those potholes.

I

It would seem a travesty should an emergency vehicle be unable to rescue or assist someone as a result of the often hazardous condition of Lake Angelus road. I drive it 25 mph - 35 mph since this is reasonably the safe, practical limit before risk to the wheels, tires, suspension, etc. is realized, in my opinion. I say this not because I am an engineer and have a woking knowledge of the limitations of the automobile but because understanding the possible perils of driving on this often dangerous, unpaved road at high speeds is kindergarten physics and should be apparent to everyone who uses Lake Angelus. I am often overtaken by drivers doing well over 65 mph and it is frustrating to say the least. I can't imagine the dust that must enter the homes of those whose homes are on this road. I would think it in their best interest to insist that it be paved. I would absolutely be in favor of a 35 mph speed limit after paving this road and an increased police patrol to enforce it. I have no data to support it but I have to believe that an extraordinary amount of speeding fine revenue could be generated.

I have lived off of Lake Angelus Road for the last three years and was excited to come here but boy was I in for rude awakening regarding this damn unpaved road. My sister has gotten into a car accident on this road while visiting my brother-in-law got into a car accident while visiting and I ended up in the ditch trying to avoid a big pothole just this year. There are several stories I can tell you and I'm sure several other federal presidents can tell the road commission but it always falls on deaf ears.
No one wants to come visit us either for fear of destroying their car, or just for safety reasons. The house is get super dirty in the spring and summer from all the dust off the road when they filled and grated.
It's a shame because it's a beautiful stretch and it would be so nice to have a road paved once and for all. I agree with the previous poster that said this could've been paid for all the times they have to sink in their resources to regrade the damn road. Someone will listen when the residents get together and complain enough because remember, the squeeky wheel gets the oil.

Here we are in late March 2014 and this damn road has yet to be paved. I don't care how much it costs I don't care about all of the reasons why it's not paved, it's time to pay this damn road. I moved here three years ago and thought it was going to be great but boy was I wrong. Since I've been here, my sister my best friend and a moving company along with the landscaper have all gotten into car accidents trying to avoid potholes here. It's unsafe and its time. For all of the money that they sink in to filling up the holes and regrading the road I'm sure this road could've been paved more than once. There must be ways to achieve this and fast. My wife shares the same complaint and embarrassment when people do not want to come and visit us for fear of their safety because of the roads or that they don't want to destroy their cars. I pretty much call the OCRC a couple times a week and we go through the same thing over and over again I just believe that if enough of us residents get together the squeaky wheel will get the oil.

Yes--I agree 100%. Lake Angelus Road is terrible--we've had thousands of dollars of damage to both our cars since moving to the area due to the horrible road conditions.

If it can't be paved, then put dirt and grade it just about EVERY DAY. At least immediately after it rains---dirt was dumped on it last week, then it rained, and now it's as bad as ever. Do what it takes to make this road safe!

I wish but I think by now we all know that they will not do that. What really needs to happen is everyone who is affected that lives there or drive through their needs to get together and form some type of committee and start some type of petition to really push these damn people into action.
It's a fairly well-traveled road and should have some priority. It's not like it's out-of-the-way and barely anyone goes down it.

REPOSTING FROM MAY 2013......

Ask the Lake Angelus residents!!!

OCRC, Waterford and Auburn Hills were all set to pave this back in 2005 when budgets existed.... THEN, Lake Angelus elects a new council which revisits and adds more demands to a list that had already been achieved.... these are also the people cutting through the Alberta neighborhood in 75K vehicles!!!

I've lived off that road for 13 years.... the folks that drive 15-20 are the biggest problem.....

ex-wife successfully fought ticket and won....UN-informed Auburn Hills cop thought the signs were right, but ex had all the documentation to back this up in 2008....

at that point, i volunteered to remove the 25 mph signs for the county

Lake Angelus must subsidize additional grading and treatment of this road, it's done quite frequently..

I have lived on Lake Angelus road for 13 years and destroyed many cars, not to mention selling my sports cars! When we bought the house we were told the road was going to be paved! I have been told that the developer of Great Lakes Crossing PAID for the road to be paved? I live there and have no problem with them paving it. No one has even mentioned the dust problems that it causes every spring.

Snowman: Not sure who told you it would be paved, but they were misinformed. A word of caution: If the person promising you a road will be paved is not affiliated with the agency that owns the road, skepticism may be warranted. The Road Commission has never announced plans to pave the road. The developer of the mall DID NOT provide ANY funding for paving Lake Angelus Road. As noted in the posts above, there remains no funding to pave this road.

- Road Commission for Oakland County

Good evening-
I have lived off of Lake Angelus Road since 2015. I live in a neighborhood that has one point of entry which is sloped and right on a dangerous curve (there is very limited visibility to see oncoming cars or for them to see drivers coming out of our neighborhood). I am nearly hit by vehicles every morning (my young daughter with me) trying to get out of my neighborhood. Our street is paved, but my street is on a slope so the gravel is always on the pavement making it impossible to gain traction to get up the slope quickly. One day, I will be hit by a speeding motorist. I pray my daughter is not with me when it happens. Vehicles are constantly racing down Lake Angelus. There have been accidents, children on bikes that are run off the road because of racing vehicles, my car has also been run off the road by speeding vehicles, runners/walkers run off the road by speeding vehicles (myself included). These vehicles do not move over. I have been hit by gravel when I’m out for walks. I have seen teenagers use a certain area on this road to sell and do drugs at night.
Now, the problem with the poor grading of the road and the damage our vehicles are obtaining because of the extreme washboarding and potholes. Not to mention the damage being done to our vehicles because of the calcium chloride brine they spray on the road to keep the dust down. I apologize, but if something is being sprayed on our road to limit the dust shouldn’t I be able to open my windows on a nice day? The calcium chloride is rusting our vehicles, brakes and causing other damage to our vehicles. Also, the reason the washboarding happens is because the grading is being done too quickly. Grading is a very slow process and if it is done too quickly the result is washboarding of the road. Finally, calcium chloride brine only works effectively if there is enough gravel on the road (in particular gravel with greater amounts of clay). There isn’t gravel on Lake Angelus road. It is all on the sides of the road.
So basically, we are wasting time and money by continuing to spray this road to “control” the dust because it is not being done properly.
Lake Angelus road residents and residents off of this road are ramping up efforts to get this road paved once and for all. It meets much of the criteria to be paved and receive funding, including it leads directly to access to main highways/expressways. It is a dangerous road in its current state. The money wasted on grading and brining could be utilized in a much better way by paving this road to make it safe for all of us and have a regulated lower speed limit. Also, putting up more signs on dangerous curves to warn motorists of hidden drives. In the end, it would cost less to pave.

Lake Angeles Road is impassable at this point. Do they want the residents to start a GoFundMe page? I really don’t understand how the people who live on that street can get in and out of their homes that to me sounds like a safety issue besides all the other safety issues that were brought up in this post/page.

I moved here 10 months ago and I’m already regretting it because of how terrible this road is. The potholes are the largest I have seen in my life and the grading only last for about a day until it rains. What will it take to get this thing paved?

Might as well put the road commission on speed dial. The county maintains the road. I've lived here 28 years and getting it paved has proved futile. There are 3 communities on this road and the good people of Lake Angelus don't want it paved. They think it's a natural beauty road, even tho it has never been designated as such. All three communities must agree to the paving project and the county must fund it. Good luck.

Auburn Hills and Waterford both won’t to move forward with paving Lake Angelus Rd. They have the funding. Start calling your city supervisor.
I have talked to Waterford’s city supervisor and he is very kind and honest. He will tell you they have the funds through federal, state and county budgets.
It’s Lake Angelus that’s holding things up.