Harper to Reopen Next Week

The traffic mess that has plagued Harper Avenue motorists for nearly a month is coming to an end, according to Environmental Protection Agency officials.

Harper Avenue is set to reopen between Lakeland and Bon Heur next week, according to a report in the Macomb Daily newspaper.

Crews shut down the busy roadway Nov. 2 to remove a PCB-contaminated pipe from under Harper Avenue.

According to officials, the pipe was successfully removed and crews have begun to repair the pavement in order to open it back up to traffic as early as next week.

The closure has done more than make the commute more difficult, it’s also been a headache for residents in the surrounding neighborhood, prompting the St. Clair Shores Police Department to assign traffic enforcement officers to patrol the streets in and around the closure more closely. Residents almost immediately began filing complaints about motorists speeding down side streets in order to get around the construction.