'Road Diet' Possible in Farmington Hills

A portion of 13 Mile Road could be reduced to three from four lanes next year under a plan the Farmington Hills City Council is considering.

Federal highway funds would pay for 80 percent of the $2 million project that would take away one lane in each direction and add a center lane between Orchard Lake Road and Farmington Road.

Stay Connected

• Get the free daily Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch newsletter and news alerts
• Like Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch on Facebook

The city’s share would be about $500,000, Farmington Hills Director of Public Services Gary Mekjian told The Farmington Observer/Hometownlife.com.

“There is a perception if you go from four lanes to three you’re going to have a capacity issue,” Mekjian told the newspaper. “That’s not what road studies are showing.”

If the project gets the green light, Farmington Hills officials hope to bid out two other road construction projects to narrow 13 Mile from Haggerty to Halsted and Drake between 13 Mile and 14 Mile roads to slow traffic in the area, where more than a dozen traffic accidents have been reported over three years.

Bike lanes would also be added.