Jessica Mathews - news@whmi.com


Following a massive water main break last year, a lengthy but critical infrastructure improvement project is beginning – bringing road closures this week in Oakland County.

The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) has begun work on the replacement and renewal of segments of its 42-inch water transmission main along 14 Mile.

Eastbound traffic closures on 14 Mile will occur this week.

The Authority - in collaboration with its member partner communities of Commerce Township, Walled Lake, Wixom, and Novi - developed an action plan to continue building resiliency in the regional system after the water main broke on 14 Mile, west of M5, at the end of September last year. The project is expected to occur over the next seven months, concluding with road restoration this June.


Traffic impacts along 14 Mile will take place in two phases this week:

Phase One: On Monday, January 12th at 9am, 14 Mile will be closed to eastbound traffic from East Walled Lake Drive and Novi Road/Decker Road;

Phase Two: On Wednesday, January 14 at 9am, 14 Mile will be closed to eastbound traffic from Novi/Decker Road to M-5.

GLWA estimates that it will be investing $12.8 million in what it described as “critical infrastructure resiliency work”. Within the last year, GLWA says it also completed “a more than $110 million redundancy loop project in the water transmission system which allowed restoration of water service to the communities served by the failed main much more quickly than in previous breaks”.

More information is available in the provided links.