Beverly Hills, Mich. - The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) tentatively expects to resume work April 7 on its project to widen the Clarkston Road/Sashabaw Road intersection in Independence Township.

The tentative schedule also calls for the closure of Sashabaw Road at the north side of the intersection beginning approximately April 21.

The project involves constructing left- and right-turn lanes in all directions at the intersection, installation of a traffic signal and the reduction of a hill to improve site distance on Sashabaw just north of Clarkston. It is the hill reduction that requires the road closure.

During the closure, the detour route for through traffic will be Pine Knob Road to Stickney Road and back to Sashabaw Road and vice versa.

The project was started in September last year, and stopped for the winter. It is expected to be completed, and Sashabaw Road re-opened, by Aug. 15.

The work is being completed by the C.A. Hull company of Walled Lake. The project cost is $2.6 million. The project is funded through a federal safety grant of $320,000 and about $700,000 in developer contributions. The Road Commission is paying for the remainder of the cost of 1.58 million.

This project had been programmed and budgeted for several years, but was delayed as RCOC worked to leverage its funding by attaining the federal grant and developer contributions.

Independence Oaks alternate route map