In less than three weeks, Rochester Community School students will be returning to their classrooms and the construction around many of the schools will still be underway. While the construction is sorely needed, especially on the well-traveled Tienken, it has proven to be a source of frustration for many. Last week Fairview Farms resident Linda Davis-Kirksey expressed her thoughts in an Op-Ed piece, ‘Epic Communication Fail – Tienken Road Construction Project.’
Rochester Media reached out to the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) and spoke via phone with Cindy Dingell who works in the Office of Public Information regarding Tienken’s accessibility.
Dingell says the RCOC understands there is an inconvenience, especially with the blocked areas, but added that, “Right now, it is not safe for traffic to be on Tienken within the construction zone. The road is tight in many areas and the contractor is doing excavation work to place new storm sewer pipes.”
Photo credit: Dan Schroeder
Dan S. gave his opinion on how the continuing construction will impact the commute in the coming weeks, “Yeah, the North Fairview exit onto Brewster will be BRUTAL when school starts… and then they expect EVERYONE (including busses) to cut thru subs (or take the wonderful pot-hole minefield Dutton) to get to Adams?… Crazy.” (via Facebook)
Because Dutton Road is seeing more traffic than usual during this construction project, Dingell says the RCOC has tried to make sure the road is regularly cholrided. The weekly schedule can be viewed here.
Tienken Road at Kings Cove looking east July 2015
Photo credit: Michael Dwyer
Many residents understand that the finished product will be worth the wait and have tried maintaining a positive outlook. MaryJo P. said via Facebook, “Dealt with coming out of Kings Cove for two seasons now. It’s not been bad. Going to be sorry to see all that traffic return. The crews have been exceptionally accommodating.”
In an effort to help ease the congestion, Dingell pointed out that the traffic light at the Brewster and Tienken intersection (north and south) has been retimed to reflect current traffic patterns, which hasn’t gone unnoticed: “With Brewster open and the timing of the light adjusted, it is much better and does not cause much delay at all. It will be so worth it to have Tienken finished,” Pam O., via Facebook.
Another way the RCOC tried to lessen the impact on daily traffic was to start work on the Brewster/Tienken area after schools got out for the summer session.
Communication is Crucial
An example of the communication sent out by the RCOC on the Tienken project
While some residents feel there’s been a lack of communication, the RCOC routinely sends updates out to the media and elected officials in a timely manner. Information regarding all current RCOC projects can also be found posted on their website, Facebook, and Twitter (@oaklandroads) accounts.
Dingell said that the RCOC will keep meeting with the City of Rochester Hills and improve where they can because they want the projects done properly so that the completion dates don’t need to be extended and there’s no need to go back and fix. Let’s just hope Mother Nature got the memo and cooperates.
About Sarah Hovis
So, it’s clearly on the City of Rochester Hills for the communication fail. RCOC passed on the info to local officials, they just didn’t bother passing it on to the effected residents.
“While some residents feel there’s been a lack of communication, the RCOC routinely sends updates out to the media and elected officials in a timely manner”