Since early July, 24 Mile Road has been closed to through traffic between Romeo Plank Road and Foss Road. The Macomb Daily's September 26, 2026 Road Watch still lists the work running through November. The cause is the southern extension of Broughton Road. Macomb Township has branded the project "Main Street Macomb," and it's the first physical step toward a downtown the township has talked about for more than 20 years.
The road is fully funded and under contract, with an expected finish date. The buildings meant to line it aren't. The way the township set up maintenance for this corridor depends on those buildings eventually getting built. Until they do, the closest thing to a downtown gathering place will be a splash pad outside Township Hall, and it has a separate budget, contractor and timeline.
What the detour is actually paying for
The township held a ceremonial groundbreaking on June 23, 2026, during the State of Macomb Township event. WXYZ reported the project at $22.5 million and said it will extend Broughton Road a mile and a half to 24 Mile Road. C&G Newspapers gives the construction limits as 23 1/2 Mile to 24 1/2 Mile roads. Supervisor Frank Viviano put the total cost at $22 million to $23 million.
The road itself is different from most road projects. Bryan Santo, director of the Macomb County Department of Roads, told C&G it will be "a two-lane cross section with a boulevard in the center." He added that it's unusual for the county because "every other road that we do is an existing roadway," which limits the design to what was already built. The design includes:
- A boulevard median with wide sidewalks and street lighting
- Several roundabouts, including one at 24 Mile and Romeo Plank
- On-street parking along the corridor
The county picked Dan's Excavating to build it on a low bid of $17.3 million. State and federal money covers about $11 million, and the county splits the rest, which Viviano described as the township paying "pennies on the dollar." The township's July alert estimated the 24 Mile closure at about six months. The county's work-zone listing runs from July 9 through November 2026. The full corridor will take longer. Viviano told WXYZ the work could take two years, and C&G puts expected completion at the end of 2028.
So the November date applies to the 24 Mile closure, not the whole boulevard. If the county's schedule holds, through traffic should return to that stretch of 24 Mile well before the last roundabout is finished.
The upkeep plan depends on buildings no one has committed to
The township and county had to agree on who maintains a road with medians, landscaping and parking that the county doesn't normally deal with. Under the deal, the county maintains the north-south travel lanes and the township handles everything else. The township plans to pay for that through a tax capture program, run by a Corridor Improvement Authority "once the area begins being developed."
"Ultimately, the district will fund itself and pay for all of those additional expenses. There will be no additional tax burden or expense to the township residents." — Supervisor Frank Viviano, to C&G Newspapers, June 2026
A tax capture only brings in money when there's taxable value to capture, so the plan depends on development. C&G's June 29 report said the land along the road is still owned by other parties, and Viviano said those owners have "kept their cards tight to the vest" about their plans. Counsel for the largest landowners, who are township residents, didn't respond to C&G before publication. The property was valued at $2 million without improvements.
The authority itself is new. The Board of Trustees unanimously created it, approved its bylaws and appointed its first members on June 24, the day after the groundbreaking. Its district covers Broughton Road between 24 Mile and 25 Mile roads, which is a different set of limits than the construction stretch C&G describes. The members are:
| Member | Term |
|---|---|
| Ron Papa | Four years |
| Michael Magnoli | Four years |
| Tom Anastos | Three years |
| Kyle Burg | Two years |
| Scott Lozon | One year |
| Frank Viviano | Serves as township supervisor |
C&G reported that the next step is setting up the district's tax capture plan. The only meeting minutes posted so far are from August 12. At that meeting, members got training on how a corridor authority and tax increment financing work and elected Papa chair. Minutes say a fall meeting was suggested, but no date was set. The township is also updating its master plan. Trustees hired Ann Arbor-based Carlisle|Wortman Associates for $66,000 to finish the 2027 update required by state law.
The one approval already on the books
One piece of the corridor has an approved plan, and it dates from February 2023. Trustees voted 5-1 for the McBride Crossing planned unit development on the south side of 24 Mile, near the planned Broughton intersection along the McBride Drain. The petitioner was Stonecrest of Washington LLC.
The PUD lets an agriculturally zoned parcel hold single-family, multifamily and commercial uses. Three-story townhouses are limited to the Broughton frontage, away from existing single-family homes. Commercial space is limited to the Broughton and 24 Mile intersection. The land between Broughton and the McBride Drain stays undeveloped except for a planned pathway. The approval came on the condition that the developer donate right-of-way for Broughton and 24 Mile and help build the Broughton extension. Trustee Frank Cusumano Jr. cast the only no vote because the PUD departed from the master plan.
That means the corner at the center of this fall's detour already has a mapped future. The township's larger plans have no approved site plans behind them yet. In his 2025 State of the Township address, Viviano described 10-foot sidewalks, trees and flowers, and "hundreds of residential units" within steps of bars and restaurants. Our research found no named developer, new site plan or rezoning for the other Main Street parcels between July and September 2026.
The first thing residents will actually use
The first gathering spot will come from a separate project. Town Square Park sits outside Township Hall, between Broughton Road, Macomb Street and Plattsburg Street, and it's being redeveloped around a fountain with a splash pad. The township's bid request also listed a public restroom, an equipment building, landscaping, drainage and lighting.
Unlike the land along the new road, this project is already under contract:
- April 8, 2026: Trustees approved $314,201 in splash pad equipment from Vortex Aquatic Structures International, below the $400,000 budget. Vortex will also install it.
- April 22, 2026: Trustees awarded the park construction contract to Anglin Civil LLC of Livonia for $1.93 million, which is its $1.75 million quote plus a 10% contingency. OHM Advisors received a separate contract capped at $252,000, and a $982,000 MEDC grant helps pay for the project.
- September 24, 2026: The township's check run included a $56,250 Vortex USA payment for the Town Square Park project.
The township hasn't announced an opening date. In early May, Treasurer Leon Drolet said Anglin expected to start "in a couple weeks" and was "optimistic" about finishing by year-end. Drolet said he was "hopeful that at this time next year" children could use the fountain. His comments point to spring 2027, but that's a hope, not a confirmed schedule. The September payment shows money moving and says nothing about when the park opens.
This fountain is where the Main Street idea first gets used by the public. When Viviano announced the Broughton plans in 2025, he said a state placemaking grant would help pay for an interactive fountain in the square outside Township Hall. At the 2026 groundbreaking, he told WXYZ: "We lack that space where the community can come together and move up and down the street and have festivals." The splash pad is likely to be the first of those spaces to open, ahead of the commercial blocks along the new road.
The other roads in the same conversation
Broughton isn't the only road work in this part of the township, and two other projects affect the same drives. On Romeo Plank Road between 21 1/2 Mile and 23 Mile, the bottlenecks at 21 1/2 Mile and 23 Mile remain. C&G reported in June that federal-level issues had held up a planned roundabout, which needs a condemned liquor store demolished first. Farther north, the Macomb Daily reported in May that a 26 Mile and Hayes Road reconstruction, with turn lanes, new pavement and signals, was planned to start in early fall 2026, with restoration expected in spring 2027. We couldn't confirm that work has begun.
Viviano explained to C&G why these projects come one at a time: "The road department and any other agency isn't going to expense funds until there's a demonstrated need and when it comes to roads, a demonstrated need is traffic." On Broughton, the township went the other way and built first, betting that traffic and tenants will follow. Through November, drivers on 24 Mile between Romeo Plank and Foss should follow the posted detour. Access to businesses and properties along the closure stays open.
If you own a home near the Broughton corridor, buyers will ask what's coming next door and when. Glover Agency tracks projects like Main Street Macomb parcel by parcel, so your pricing reflects what's actually approved and under contract. See Your Market Value before the next site plan reaches the township board.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
