Rochester Hills businesses petition MDOT to keep Rochester Road open both ways during rebuild
An online petition asks MDOT to keep one lane open in each direction during the $40 million Rochester Road rebuild in Rochester Hills. MDOT says its current plan minimizes how long the project takes.
By OCJ Staff
Business owners along Rochester Road in Rochester Hills are backing an online petition asking the state to change its traffic plan for next year's rebuild of the road, WDIV reported Thursday.
The petition had gathered hundreds of signatures, according to WDIV. It asks the Michigan Department of Transportation to keep one lane open in each direction for the whole project, instead of sending all traffic through a single lane.
The plan
MDOT plans a $40 million reconstruction of about five miles of Rochester Road, from M-59 to Tienken Road, WDIV reported. Downtown Rochester, rebuilt in 2012, is not included.
- Phase 1, March to November 2027: M-59 to the Clinton River bridge near Avon Road. One lane stays open, northbound first and then southbound.
- Phase 2, 2028: the Paint Creek bridge to Tienken Road, with a similar single-lane pattern.
What businesses say
Ravinder Saini, who owns the Tim Hortons franchise on Rochester Road, told WDIV the group is not against the road work but fears the plan will hurt businesses and neighborhoods. Daniel Fox, general sales manager at Fox Automotive, said he expects traffic to drop by 25% to 50% during the closures.
Raham Hadi of Savvy Sliders pointed out that the work spans two years. Benjamin Lula of Superior Lock & Key said it is "going to kill a lot of people on the street," and owner Joe Sykes said the one-way traffic would make it far slower for his service crews to reach customers.
MDOT's response
In a statement to WDIV, MDOT said it has worked with the cities, local leaders and elected officials on balancing traffic access with the construction schedule, and that its local office has met many times with business owners. MDOT said the current plan minimizes the project's duration and that it will keep communities informed.
Our Oct. 14 story has more on business owners' concerns about driveway access. WDIV noted that businesses just south in Troy have been dealing with construction on the same corridor for months.
Sources: WDIV/ClickOnDetroit (Oct. 22, 2026).