Travelers who like to head west on Oakwood Road to M-15, rejoice. On June 19, the intersection closed for the summer to make safety improvements and to replace the culvert under the road. The project was finished ahead of schedule, and the intersection opened to traffic on August 25.

“We were saying the project would be done in the fall, and this would be ahead of the fall,” said Craig Bryson, senior manager of communications of the Road Commission for Oakland County. “Safe to say it was open ahead of time.”

While there may be crews still out for minor restoration work, such as putting down grass seed, the major construction is done.

The center turn lane was extended on Oakwood Road from Oakwood Elementary through the intersection at Hadley Road. Crews also replaced the culvert that ran diagonally under the intersection. The shoulders of Oakwood road were widened to six feet to improve safety, curbs and gutters were installed and drainage was improved at the intersection.

“It should be safer with the extended turn lane and wider shoulders,” said Bryson. “The pavement condition will be better, and the culvert will hopefully not fail and cause more tear-up of the road.”

According to a press release from the RCOC, before road work began, about 7,200 cars crossed that intersection daily. The project was estimated to cost $2.14 million.