5 Things Missing on 11 Mile Road

1. Grass

The lawns in the sidewalk easement along 11 Mile Road are gone and they are not coming back when the project is completed at the end of the summer.

"The vast majority of businesses along 11 Mile don't take care of the grass," City Engineer Matt Callahan told Royal Oak Patch in May, so the decision was made to pave the entire easement. Down the road, planter boxes, bike racks and trash cans can be added to improve the overall look of the sidewalks, he said.

2. Light poles

All the light poles along 11 Mile Road, from Troy Street to Campbell Road, were removed when the project began. 

The project will add new ornamental streetlights to match those near the Emagine Theatre. Until the new lights are installed, 11 Mile Road will not be lit in the section of roadway under construction. 

3. Flag poles

Three flagpoles in front of the Royal Canadian Legion were removed.

"They were in the sidewalk easement," Callahan said, adding the Legion is welcome to put them back as long as it is on their own property.

4. Trees

A few trees were removed, but none more controversial than the one Terry Schaefer, who owns an auto repair shop at 723 E. 11 Mile Rd., planted in front of his business to make the area look better. He wanted to keep the tree but was told he couldn't.

Schaefer, who was very public about his desire to save his tree, is happy to report he was able to move it to another spot on his property.

"The tree is doing well," he said. "It's taking a heck of a lot of water, but it is doing well."

5. Traffic light

The traffic light at Potter Avenue was one of the first things to be removed when the project started in May and it's not coming back.

The traffic light at Gainsborough Avenue will remain, however.

Did we miss anything missing? Let us know in the comments.