Officials, Residents Support St. Clair Shores Businesses Affected by Jefferson Avenue Construction

Residents, Macomb County officials, and St. Clair Shores City Council members came together at the Nautical Deli on Tuesday, April 1, to support the business community impacted by construction along Jefferson Avenue.

Speaking with the St. Clair Shores Sentinel, City Councilman Dave Rubello said the community is coming together and intends to focus more on supporting several businesses during peak construction time. 

“It's going to be a long road for them,” Rubello said. “We can do it. We can help them out.”

Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller, who attended the lunch event, said she and her office appreciate the business community's and residents' patience during road construction. She also noted that this public works infrastructure project is an investment St. Clair Shores has made that will significantly impact the town in the future.

The work on Jefferson Avenue is being done to stop sewer overflows from releasing into Lake St. Clair. These overflows occur when combined sewer systems in the community get overwhelmed with rainwater and sewage. As a result, the untreated sewer water flows into nearby lakes and rivers. 

Only one sewer pipe runs on Jefferson Avenue from Nine Mile Road to 10 Mile Road, while the surrounding areas have two sewer pipes.

Construction is expected to last about 24 to 30 months. Officials said the project work will be completed in phases, with different parts of the Nautical Mile encountering construction at different times. This work will reduce Jefferson Avenue to two lanes at construction sites: one for northbound traffic and another for southbound traffic.