A promised fix to a Harrison Township road has paved the way for major business and jobs investment by a Chinese automotive firm. That path, Executive Drive, runs parallel to I-94 between the Interstate and Selfridge Air National Guard Base and services over a dozen businesses in an adjacent industrial park.
One of those businesses is Yanfeng Automotive Interiors, a Chinese automotive interiors supplier. Once local officials confirmed plans to rebuild Executive Drive for the first time in its 43-year existence, Yanfeng committed a $56.6 million investment in renovating a vacant building along the roadway; officials expect the investment could generate up to 519 jobs for the Macomb County site.
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and a host of area business leaders and local and state officials gathered Wednesday, Aug. 10 for a ribbon-cutting, celebrating the official re-opening of the road.
"Executive Drive is a prime example of how the growth of private industry can spur strategic investment in our infrastructure," says Hackel. "Working alongside Yanfeng (Automotive Interiors), our transportation service providers, economic developers and our community partners, we were able to modernize this key industrial roadway."
Built in 1973, Executive Drive has seen few improvements over its 43-year-long lifespan. The resulting deterioration had construction crews tearing up the road and starting over. Beginning April 4, 2016, crews removed the road to its base and installed new infrastructure before rebuilding Executive Drive. An enhanced drainage system replaced the old one and nearby fire hydrants and the municipal fire suppression system received upgrades. A continuous sidewalk was also installed.
The Executive Drive reconstruction received funding from both the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Macomb County Department of Roads. MDOT awarded a $1,634,640 Transportation Economic Development Fund grant while Macomb County committed an additional $700,560 to the project.
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