{"id":2252,"date":"2019-07-13T01:17:02","date_gmt":"2019-07-12T22:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/?p=2252"},"modified":"2019-08-10T01:09:55","modified_gmt":"2019-08-09T22:09:55","slug":"dearborns-southend-residents-furious-at-bomb-crater-roads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/dearborns-southend-residents-furious-at-bomb-crater-roads\/","title":{"rendered":"dearborns southend residents furious at bomb crater roads"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brian Stone -Dearborn<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Residents in the Southend of Dearborn, Mich. are expressing concern that city and county roads are not getting enough attention.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The issue of roads funding continues to be a complex one, and is being debated at the federal, state, county and local level.<\/p>\n

Any resident of Dearborn\u2019s Southend can tell that the roads are a problem: Miller Road and Vernor Road, in particular, have pot holes so large that some residents say they can be easily confused with bomb craters.<\/p>\n

Abdullatif Aljahmi is a Yemeni American realtor who said that the roads on the Southend create a \u201cwar zone-like\u201d atmosphere for neighboring communities, \u201cThe roads cause a major impact on the curb appeal on the Southend of Dearborn. If nobody is taking care of the roads, then the value of the homes decrease because it deters investment in the area\u201d he said<\/p>\n

So, residents ask, why isn\u2019t more being done? Officials say, again and again, that funding is the main issue.<\/p>\n

At a recent meeting at Salina Elementary, sponsored by Wayne County Commissioner Sam Baydoun, various county and city officials claimed that there just isn\u2019t enough money to go around. That answer has not satisfied some community activists, like Abdulhakem Alsadeh, president of the National Association of Yemeni Americans.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I spoke with the city engineer and asked why most of the Southend is under the county\u2019s care [versus the city\u2019s], they dodged the question,\u201d said Alsadeh. \u201cThe Yemeni American concerns are the concerns of the rest of the citizens: the city needs to make an effort to meet with the residents, to discuss with the residents and to include this area in their future plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commissioner Baydoun called many activists to attend the meeting on funding road projects and speak with the Wayne County Federal Aid Committee. The Committee meets quarterly and each city\/township has a representative to discuss which road projects need to be prioritized. Miller is slated to be resurfaced in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cSouthend residents simply cannot wait two years for Miller to be fixed, and residents have been avoiding it because it\u2019s horrendous – a war zone like road\u201d said Commissioner Baydoun. Ali Baleed, YABA Executive director also spoke about how the road is in deteriorating condition and it needs to the highest attention.<\/p>\n

Other questions about roads funding aren\u2019t just about the total amount spent, but also whether equitable investment is made. The Yemeni American News requested information from the city of Dearborn regarding roads repair projects done by the city over the last two years, and they were able to quickly provide information on which roads were resurfaced over the last two years.<\/p>\n

However, after several weeks and multiple requests, the city would not provide information related to the amount spent, raising questions on whether equitable investment is being made. This stands in contrast to the response some community members have received from the county.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to give credit where it\u2019s due: the Wayne County Executive and his staff has been very responsive to our requests and listened to our concerns,\u201d said Alsadeh. \u201cIn particular, the office of the county executive and his chief of staff, whom I met with recently to discuss these issues. They say they are making our community a priority, and the recent fixes on Wyoming support that idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adel Mozip, Dearborn School Board newest trustee spoke on the conditions of Wyoming and Miller. \u201cIn Miller, if you\u2019re driving a small car like most of the residents there, you would hear the car shaking while driving from Dix to Eagle Pass. I\u2019m also concerned for the safety of our students riding the bus back and forth daily from the Southend to Edsel Ford High school. This is a safety hazard and I hope the committee considers moving up Miller Rd up on the priority list.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the confusion on roads funding stems from who is responsible for roads repairs. Roads like Wyoming and Miller roads are county roads, and the county, which has faced financial struggles in recent years, has very little money to go around. Wyoming recently received funds for resurfacing, secured by the former Wayne County Commissioner, Gary Woronchak. Local roads \u2013 mainly neighborhood roads \u2013 are maintained and managed by the city.<\/p>\n

Aljahmi says the bureaucracy makes the process of roads repair even more difficult, \u201cIt can be a big mess in order for legislation to move \u2013 it\u2019s a lot of bureaucracy, forcing a road fix to go through so many different desks before it gets approved. The people who pay the price for this are the residents of the Southend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding to the confusion are the larger discussions about state roads funding, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who was elected on the promise she\u2019d \u201cfix the damn roads,\u201d calling for a $0.45 tax on gasoline in order to pay for $2.1 billion more roads repairs each year. The state has a history of not sharing enough roads funding with local communities, though. Even if the gas tax is implemented, questions remain about how much money would go to Wayne County and Dearborn, and whether it would be enough to address the roads problem on the Southend.<\/p>\n

Samraa Luqman also spoke on the injustice that Southenders are facing. \u201cBesides the pollution that they\u2019re receiving on a daily basis, the roads are not manageable to navigate either. The rubber hits the road there \u2013 literally.\u201d<\/p>\n

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