ROSE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Residents in a Rose Township neighborhood are raising the alarm about a road bend that's resulted in several vehicle crashes.
I went to see where the frustration is and how I could help.
Coming down a hill from Rosell, it's the bend at Joel Road that's turning out to be dangerous for people.
"I drove off that cliff," resident Loretta Bradfield said.
At the bend, the cliff drops over 16 feet.
"You have (a) no control situation," Bradfield said.
Bradfield and her friend Aurora Bendixen have been living in the area for a few years. They say during blizzards, the bend causes a lot of crashes.
"When I went off (the road) on Friday, I had my kids with me because we were coming here," Bendixen said.
Bendixen's car was one of five vehicles that skidded off the road this past Friday. Bradfield says over the six years of living near the bend, she has counted around 80 crashes during adverse weather conditions.
"When I went off, she (Bradfield) stayed at the top of the hill to warn people," Bendixen said.
"And I was on the phone the entire time saying look, somebody is going to get hurt. 'Cause if you are at the top of the hill, you can't see there is a car at that dangle — it's all blocked view," Bradfield said.
Bradfield has been calling the authorities lately to raise the issue.
"There are like five farmers on this corner who will bring out their tractors and trucks and tow people out, and it never gets in the record," Bradfield said.
North Oakland County Fire Authority says only two crashes during the winter season were reported — one in 2022 and the other in 2025. The Road Commission for Oakland County logged seven crashes over the last 10 years.
"Unless you have a serious injury, you are not getting help. Because we don't get Oakland County police and we don't have local police. And even Holly (police), six minutes north, will not come out. It's not their jurisdiction," Bendixen said.
"What do you think is the solution?" I asked.
"Guard rails are a little better than twigs that break," Bendixen said.
"I understand that there are only 40 houses on this road; minimally, I would say move us up on the list for salting," Bradfield said.
I went to officials to help get residents' voices heard. NOCFA Chief Matt Weil, Rose Township Supervisor Brad Stilwell and Oakland County Commissioner Bob Hoffman met me at the bend.
"I lived around the corner. It's always been here, it's always been a challenge in the winter. Personally, I would navigate around it," Weil said.
"What about folks who are visiting this area and they're not aware of this bend?" I asked.
"That's a problem," Weil said.
"We don't have control over the roads here, (but) we influence them," Stilwell said.
It's one of the 750 miles of gravel roads maintained by the Oakland County road commission. Hoffman says once notified this past Friday, the commission scrapped and sanded the dirt road.
"What more can be done?" I asked.
"Well, that's what we are meeting today with the road commission for safety part and guard rails," Stilwell said.
"It could be a thought of having some slowdown or flashing signs," I asked
"I'll bring it up this afternoon," Stilwell said.
Right after, road inspection teams were seen evaluating the road and two hours later, I connected with Craig Bryson with the road commission for an update.
"The outcome was that we we're going to review the signage on the road. We will add some additional and larger warning signs about the curve ahead. We determined we will not be putting guard rails because it will make the situation more dangerous," Bryson said.
"Moving forward what's the game plan?" I asked.
"It will take four to six weeks to determine where the signs are, get them installed. And we will continue to monitor the crash statistics closely," Bryson said.
Now, officials say driving responsibly is still a key factor, and no matter how small the incident, always report it to law enforcement as it builds data that determines the action.
To report incidents to the Oakland County Road Commission, call 877-858-4804
