St. Clair Shores Police to Patrol I-94 Roadwork Zone

Weekend revelers beware. St. Clair Shores police will be on patrol along I-94 to protect construction crews.

The Michigan Department of Transportation has contracted with St. Clair Shores to provide weekend road patrol in the I-94 construction zone between 8 and 11 Mile roads.

"It gets crazy at night and (MDOT) is afraid something may happen," said Glenn Bowlin, St. Clair Shores deputy police chief. "Maybe we can slow them down a bit and keep someone from getting killed."

MDOT contacted the city about this effort and will be reimbursing the city for the costs of having the patrols in the work zone, Bowlin said. Terms of the agreement were not immediately available.

Work crews are currently working in the median and far left lane to install new freeway lights. 

"This would be continuation of what we have done in the past," said Drew Buckner, manager at the Macomb transportation service center. "This helps enforce the speed limit in the work zones."

Statewide, MDOT is concerned about road construction work zone crashes. The department reported 5,632 crashes, 1,488 injuries and 24 fatalities in 2010. The previous year, there were nearly 500 more crashes in Michigan work zones and more than 100 more injuries. Fatalities also increased in work zones.

"Focused driving is simply safer and can make a big difference," said Kirk T. Steudle, state transportation director, in a release. "The life you save could be your own.

"Whether it's protecting our workers or people driving through a work zone, as more drivers focus on safety, we can all get home safely," stated Steudle.