Road Commission: 'We're at the Limit of What We Can Do' About Washington Road

County road officials took another step toward Tienken Road improvements Thursday, but left paving plans for nearby Washington Road in the laps of locals.

Road commissioners ratified a preliminary agreement with Hubbell, Roth & Clark of Bloomfield Hills on engineering plans for Tienken improvements between Livernois and Sheldon Roads in Rochester Hills.

Paving adjacent Washington Road, which winds through two city historic districts, was to be part of the plan.

But if local officials want out, it won't be included.

"I got a lot of e-mails on Washington Road," said Eric Wilson, incoming chairman of the Road Commission for Oakland County. "They don't want to be included."

Residents oppose Washington Road paving

Plans called for Washington to be paved from the Tienken Road roundabout northeast to Dequindre, but area residents spoke out against that plan.

Speed limits and the permission of truck traffic on a paved Washington Road has caused concern for residents and city officials alike. The width of the road also has concerned residents.

Mayor Bryan Barnett said Thursday that city officials expressed these concerns to road commission representatives this week and that the future of the project depends on their response.

'We're not going to shove it down their throat'

Road Commission Engineer Tom Blust said the speed and traffic restrictions sought by residents would jeopardize the $1.5 million federal share of the $2.4 million project. "We're at the limit of what we can do and still receive federal funding," Blust said. The RCOC would pay $500,000 toward the paving while both cities would pay about $220,000 each.

But if residents and both cities don't want the paving  project, "we're not going to shove it down their throat," Blust added. "I understand the citizens. It is a historic district."

. The districts date back to the pre-Civil War era and contain some of the oldest occupied dwellings in Oakland County.

While the districts once stood distinctly apart from the surrounding community, new housing developments and the building of have  increased traffic in the area.

Kristin Bull contributed to this report.