DEARBORN, Mich. – Between several businesses and a busy Kroger in Dearborn, many drivers Local 4 spoke with said they avoid a busy intersection in the afternoon.
The area of Michigan Avenue and Outer Drive is busy, but there’s a lot happening at the intersection with a Ford dealership, a high school a block away, a Chrysler dealership and a Kroger. People said getting out of the area during rush hour can be a nightmare.
“When traffic gets backed up into here because folks can’t get out there, then you’ve got some frustration here because you’ve got multiple lanes trying to come in,” one driver said.
From backups blocking Kroger exits to the timing of traffic lights, drivers say rush hour on Michigan Avenue and Outer Drive is brutal.
Backups can happen when drivers are trying to get to Michigan Avenue to make a Michigan left.
“It can get tenuous, because there’s a lot of traffic that comes up Outer Drive,” said a driver. “I think a lot of that is from Ford Motor Company coming out.”
Some try cutting through the Kroger parking lot, adding to the congestion.
Many say they simply avoid the area between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
An influx of drivers means you’ll need more patience navigating two busy Metro Detroit roads.
“People gotta go to the grocery store, they gotta go get a car wash. The gas station -- it’s always going to be congested,” one driver said. “So that’s what I say, they put a stoplight right there, they have a better timing with Michigan Avenue right there, where they keep running through.”
Wayne County told Local 4 that it doesn’t have jurisdiction over the intersection, saying it’s under the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Local 4 is working to get a response from MDOT.