"It was a terrible road." Mound Road reopens after major construction project wraps up in Macomb County

(WWJ) - One of Macomb County's largest road construction projects is officially complete.

The "Innovate Mound" construction project, which rebuilt nine miles of Mound Road from I-696 to M-59, cost $220 million. WWJ's Jon Hewett said the money came from local, county, state and federal sources.

Bryan Santo, Director of Macomb County Department of Roads said the project will have a "longer lifespan than typical road repairs."

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel attended the ceremonial reopening of the road on Tuesday morning. He told Hewett that the roadway has a "major economic impact" that extends to the national level, representing $7-8 billion in economic activity annually.

"It was a terrible road, it needed to be fixed, and we found the funding," Hackel said, noting that the funding came from "every level of government" — including local, state and federal sources.

The roadway was completed on time and on budget, Hackel said.

The project was not without its controversies. An article from WWJ in May reported that Warren residents were getting frustrated with the length of the project. People reported that it was difficult to enter certain subdivisions because of construction equipment. Some businesses also closed because customers weren't able to get into their parking lots.

There are some landscaping projects left to be taken care of in the spring, Hewett said.