NO, don't pave it and as a matter of fact, lower the speed limit back to 25. I live on this road and do not want the hundreds of cars per hour from DTE going any faster than the ludicrous speeds they already travel. Most are drunk any way, and they constantly place me and my family at risk from their out of control driving. My mail box and others nearby have been plowed down by distracted, speeding drivers. I’m not sure how you can lose control when the speed limit was 25. It’s great when your mowing the lawn by the road only to have cars fly by kicking up gravel and dust on you. My favorite is when I try to pull out of my driveway with more than a reasonable distance from oncoming traffic only to have the inconsiderate speeder pass me doing at least 50. Why do you think the sheriff always is monitoring the speed at the township line? The road suits me just fine. YOU SIR, do not live on it and only pass by likely speeding. If you don’t like it, go down Maybe Rd., its paved just for you.

I live on this bumpy, dusty excuse for a road and drive on it daily. You don't like the dust and gravel? THEN ASK TO GET IT PAVED! Also, by road comission standards, due to the number of houses on the road the speed limit was raisded. It won't be lowered. You want to make the road safer? It needs to be paved!
Id also like to be able to go more than a day or two without having to get my car washed to remove all the crap off of it from driving on this.

Eric and Mark:

Just to clarify the speed limit question: Speed limits on gravel roads are set in conjunction with the State Police and in accordance with state law. The state law, as amended in 2006, mandates that speed limits on gravel roads be set based on the number of access points (driveways, sidestreets, alleys, etc.) within a half-mile strech. It was because of this change in the state law that the State Police required the speed limit to be raised to comply with the new law.

Road Commission for Oakland County

I would like to see this road paved as well. It is ridiculous that this is the only gravel road in the area that connects other major roads. Not only is the dirt and dust an issue but the road is not even wide enough in certain areas and has trees precariously close to the road causing a hazard. Our children should not have to wait for school buses on this road and be subjected to all the dust and loose debris that gets kicked up at them. Additionally, when looking to build a house in the area I specifically asked the builder if this road was going to be paved and was told yes. I would not have built here otherwise. Why can't funds from the American Reinvestment Act be used for this small project?

Scott:

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA -- "stimulus" funds) have all been used. Additionally, this road did not qualify for the ARRA funds. The ARRA funds were only available for projects that were "shovel ready" -- in other words, they had to be ready to go immediately as of early 2009. That means we would have had to have the paving project designed and any necessary right of way purchased at that time. Since we do not have any funding for this project, we have designed it or purchased any needed right of way.

Road Commission for Oakland County

Pave this road or at least take care of it appropriately. The potholes are out of control (again) and it makes it especially dangerous since cars veer to avoid and may potentially cause accidents. It's ridiculous that this road has not yet been paved. Embarrassing.

Mike

Mike:

The Road Commission receives only $1.5 million per year in funding that can be used to pave gravel roads (keep in mind we do NOT receive any of your propery tax revenues; we are funded through the state & federal gas tax and the vehicle registration fees). It costs $1.5 million to pave a single mile of gravel road. We have nearly 800 miles of gravel roads under our jurisdiction. As a result we have prioritized our gravel road paving based on traffic volume, continuity of route, and other factors.

Additionally, because our revenues have now been falling for years, we have had to reduce our staff by 20 percent in the last three years. That means many fewer employees available to grade gravel roads. Unfortunately, the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better, as road funding is projected to continue to decline.

What do we have to do to request a vehicle traffic audit for the section of road between the entrance to the Montclair subdivision on Waldon Road and Baldwin?

Isn't there a threshold where when cars per hour exceeds a threshhold it should be prioritized for pavement?

Waldon has become a major East West route between Lapeer and Sashabaw and is constantly used by heavy 18 wheelers to bypass the weigh station on 75. During spring-fall I have even seen double trailer gravel trucks and regularly see 18 wheelers driving down Waldon road.

As the cost of gas goes up (almost $4.00/gal now) the doesnt the percentage of funds raised by taxing gasoline also increase or is it fixed cost per gallon?

Eric:

Great questions. First -- NO! The gas tax revenue does NOT go up when gas prices go up. In fact it goes DOWN!

Here's why: The gas tax is a flat rate (19 cents per gallon). It is NOT a percentage of the price. It doesn't matter if gas is 50 cents per gallon or $5 per gallon, the gas tax is ALWAYS 19 cents. So, when the price of gas goes up, people drive less and, therefore, gas tax revenues go down.

Michigan does apply its sales tax to gas, which IS a percentage (6%), but NONE of the revenue from the sales tax goes to roads. It goes to schools, communities and the state's general fund.

Secondly, you asked about traffic volume and a threshold for paving. Yes, there are engineering guiedlines that suggest when a road caries more than about 500 cars per day, it should be paved. However, there is NO funding for paving gravel roads as a result of this engineering guideline. In fact, many Oakland County gravel roads carry far more traffic than that.

However, the reality remains, regardless of how much traffic our gravel roads carry, we receive only enough funding each year to pave one mile of gravel roads.

The good news is we have prioritized our gravel roads and identified the 30 top roads that we expect to be paved over the next thirty years -- and this sectionof Waldon is on the list. It will not be paved within the next several years, but it is at least on the list.

- Road Commission for Oakland County

Another winter is upon us and after the last week of rain and this mornings snow, the road is starting to turn into another winter mud hole. Im wondering if the road will be closed again this year due to titanic pot holes.

Mike, I'm just reviewing this blog right now and it looks like your last post was a couple years ago....I am also a resident in the Montclair subdivision and the potholes this spring almost made the road un-driveable!. Are there any updates as to when this stretch of road may be paved?

Haven't heard anything about this stretch. I'm not hopeful that we will see it paved anytime soon.

Is there anything we can do to prioritize this section? The volume of traffic on this stretch has increased over the years. Commercial vehicles are constantly using it, and the road commission typically needs to come out and re-grate the road 2 or 3 times a month.

The first 100 yards of gravel east of Baldwin is HORRENDOUS!!! Im driving in a jeep and there are 12" deep chuckholes. Please, PAVE THE ROAD!!!

Waldon is used to bypass the I75 weigh stations and during the summer is a major east-west path out of Pine Knob after events. Traffic exceeds 500 cars/hour during those events.

10-12" deep chuck holes this morning. Bad washboarding near the east end towards Baldwin this morning. Im sure after the rains this afternoon its going to be stupendous!

While we are on the subject of Walson again, I LOVE that the Oakland County Road Comission put a priority of have 5 asphalt trucks and a whole crew of people to put a 2' wide shoulder on Joslyn but they cant fix the massive pot holes and bumps in the paved part of Waldon.

When is Waldon between Baldwin and Clintonville scheduled to be paved? There are numerous tree stumps/limbs on the North side of the rode pointing into traffic or in dangerous positions. The road sides should be cleared with clean drainage on both sides if you aren't going to pave it. The amount of traffic Waldon sees, especially during/after DTE events should rate this being more of a priority. I know from Sashabaw to Clintonville was paved because of high dollar home owners in Oakhurst complained. The recent re-paving proves that. So tired of the terrible road conditions!

Initial report in June 2010 but we were calling MDOT and OCRC in 2002. We were told in 2002 that Waldon was "on the 10 year plan" for being paved. Its now 13 years later and it still hasn't been paved. It only gets worse each year. Now we are coming into DTE Theater summer schedule and we will see hundreds of cars/hour coming down Waldon before and after each show.
When will Waldon be paved?

Your issue has been outstanding for 1819 days.

We had to replace a wheel bearing due to premature wear attributed to the consistently terrible conditions of this road.

Paving this road would be nice...

Over the last 10 years I have had to replace complete sets of shocks/struts on 4 vehicles, I have replaced 3 bent aluminum wheels and am preparing to replace a complete set of front ball joints on a Ford Escape.

Eric:

We do not now, nor have we ever had a "10 Year Plan." There was not a 10-year plan in 2002, and there were no specific plans or funding to pave Waldon then as now. As we noted in 2010, Waldon is, in fact, on our 30 Year Gravel Road Paving Plan. But, all the points we noted in 2010 above remain true.

- Road Commission for Oakland County

This stretch of road really needs to be made a priority. This open ended answer of "it's on a 30 year plan, but not for the next several years", is frustrating. What is "several" is it 20 years? 6 years? a more accurate time table would be appreciated.

Ryan: It is frustrating to us as well, however, as noted above, we receive $1.5 million per year for gravel road paving, and that's less than enough to pave one mile of gravel road. We have 777 miles of gravel road in our system. Currently, no funding is designated for this section of Waldon Road, therefore, there is no schedule. However, also as noted, it is included in the list of roads we hope to pave within the next 30 years.

- Road Commission for Oakland County

I appreciate the quick response. Would contacting our state representatives help, in your opinion? Are there any options we could try that would help make this a priority?

I'm assuming the 30 year plan has various road sections prioritized according to some engineering guidelines. Where does this segment rank in relation to the other road sections? Top 5? Bottom half?

What, if anything, is being done to increase funding for gravel road paving? Is it a priority?

Foot deep chuckholes at the entrance to Montclair on Monday evening. As the DTE Energy Music Theater season begins Waldon is only going to continue to get worse.

What do we have to do to request a vehicle traffic audit for the section of road between the entrance to the Montclair subdivision on Waldon Road and Baldwin?

Isn't there a threshold where when cars per hour exceeds a threshhold it should be prioritized for pavement?

Waldon has become a major East West route between Lapeer and Sashabaw and is constantly used by heavy 18 wheelers to bypass the weigh station on 75. During spring-fall I have even seen double trailer gravel trucks and regularly see 18 wheelers driving down Waldon road.

With the end of 2016 approaching, please provide an update on issue - When will this stretch of road be addressed by the Oakland County Road Commission? Waldon Road has a increasingly steady stream of traffic. The potholes in late winter make the road almost un-driveable. Oakland County needs to make this issue a priority

Please do not pave Waldon Road. The homeowners knew it was a dirt road, so the complaints are lack merit and are self created. Waldon is beautiful as it is. Drive slower if there are pot holes.....

To counter-balance the "Stay Dirt" faction, this is a friendly reminder that once Baldwin expands, your precious dirt road will be exponentially worse. Expanding around, but not including, Waldon is a dire mistake. Growth and prosperity requires proper infrastructure and the ol' dirt dog needs to go out to pasture. Time for a change.

Who can be contacted or what can be done to increase funding for paving the dirt roads?

Crazy thought: Can a temporary, automated toll system be installed? Local residents pay annual discounted fee, etc... Once the "goal" amount is reached to pave the road, the toll gets removed...

There are two massive potholes on the North side of Waldon West bound between the entrance on the preserve subdivision and the entrance to Montclair. They have been their for more than 6 months. The grading lasts for 2-3 days before they reappear. The Easternmost chuckhole now spreads almost 1/2 way across the road and is filled with water. It has destroyed numerous tires already this year and is a danger to traffic.

This will be the 4th time I have asked this question without a single response.
What do we have to do to request a vehicle traffic audit for the section of road between Waldon Road and Baldwin?

Isn't there a threshold where when cars per hour exceeds a threshhold it should be prioritized for pavement?

Waldon has become a major East West route between Lapeer and Sashabaw and is constantly used by heavy 18 wheelers to bypass the weigh station on 75. During spring-fall I have even seen double trailer gravel trucks and regularly see 18 wheelers driving down Waldon road.

There are numerous trees flagged with pink X's and ribbons. The washboarding is now ditch to ditch and 6+ inches deep. The entrance to Montclair is so bad I have to drive over to the entrance side to get around the 10" deep chuck holes.
Please, pave the road!

https://clarkstonnews.com/waldon-road-paving-project-to-start-in-2021/

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Waldon road is in HORRENDOUS shape. You have Maybee closed greatly increasing the traffic but you know that because you had a truck sitting all day Saturday. The road is now only passable down the middle and there are numerous, deep dangerous pot holes down both sides, many filled with mud and water. You should be grading this road at least biweekly until Maybe is reopened. PLEASE GRADE THE ROAD!

When MDOT Fails to maintain the roads, and it causes damage to our vehicles, is M. Responsible for paying for those damages? I believe they should be. I am that knows that with the paving of may be, and the increase traffic down Walden due to it being concerts, his net Pine knob, you should be increasing the amount of and the frequency of grading that you’re doing on Walden Road or be prepared to pay for the damage to our vehicles for not doing so.

The washboarding on Waldon is currently horrendous! It is exacerbated by the ATT crews closing a lane while onsite. Waldon really needs to be on a more aggressive grading schedule through the remainder of the paving project.