The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) announces the delayed closure of Cooley Lake Road, from Elizabeth Lake Road to Cass Elizabeth Road in Waterford Township, until Wednesday, Aug. 27, to remove and replace a culvert under the road that carries the Elizabeth Lake Canal.
Superior Contracting of Almont, MI, delayed the closure from the originally scheduled date of Monday, Aug. 18.
Once the road is closed, access to homes and businesses will be maintained on both sides of the road closure. The culvert is located between Lamothe Drive and Hickory Nut Drive.
The traffic detour will be Elizabeth Lake Road to Cass Lake Road to Cass Elizabeth Road, back to Cooley Lake Road and vice versa.
The $970,000 project is funded by RCOC and includes:
- Removing the existing, failing, corrugated-metal culvert pipe with concrete headwalls and replacing it with an aluminum pipe with aluminum headwalls.
- Repaving in the vicinity of the culvert with asphalt.
- Replacing existing guardrail.
A high-friction surface treatment will be placed on the new pavement over the culvert in 2026 to add traction. During the treatment process, the road will remain open, and flaggers will direct traffic during the work.
The contractor still expects to complete the work by late September. This segment of Cooley Lake Road carries approximately 18,730 vehicles daily.
For more information on the project, visit the Cooley Lake Road Culvert over the Elizabeth Lake Canal page in the “Road Projects” section of the RCOC website, www.rcocweb.org. (Direct link: https://rcocweb.org/710/Cooley-Lake-Road-Culvert-Replacement-ove).
For questions about the culvert project, contact RCOC through any of the following methods:
