MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – Eerie noises on northbound M-53 near 18 ½ Mile Road in Macomb County have drivers scratching their heads and pulling over, thinking there’s something wrong with the road or their cars. Good news—there’s not.
The freshly repaved stretch of Van Dyke is emitting eerie noises that some say resemble creepy music, ghosts, an opera singer, sounds of the ocean, or even an alien abduction.
“It sounds like aliens, like errrrrr… like I’m being abducted,” said Paris Lockett, who drives the route daily — often late at night or early morning.
“It’s like I’m under the ocean,” added Scott Setzer, a frequent driver on the road who works at a business nearby. “The first time I drove on the road with my girlfriend, she immediately started thinking that something was wrong with her car. And ever since they did roadwork on there, all the customers have been coming in complaining that it sounds weird.”
The mystery has sparked many questions and concerns on social media and among drivers in Macomb County, so Local 4 photographer Jason Wilger and I drove over the stretch of asphalt about a dozen times on Monday (Dec. 9).
Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) spokesperson Diane Cross said the strange sounds are caused by ridges or waves that occasionally form during the final stages of asphalt paving.
“There’s nothing wrong with the road,” said Cross. “This happens occasionally. It’s just the nature of working with asphalt — it does occasionally happen.”
Cross advises drivers not to pull over unless they’re sure their car has a problem. She recommended waiting until the next exit if you feel uneasy.
Also — the ghostly groans are temporary. As cars and snowplows travel over the road during winter and early spring, the ridges will wear down, and the sounds will disappear.
