Construction has closed Sashabaw Road, north of Clarkston Road since April. (Oakland Press file photo/TIM THOMPSON)

Trying to get from Interstate 75 to M-15 can be an ordeal. Beverly Zeeman came to a standstill just after merging into the exit lane, but before getting on the exit ramp.

“Cars were just whizzing by me — it’s very bad,” Zeeman said. “Traffic is just horrendous.”

The closure of Sashabaw Road north of Clarkston Road in Independence Township has more travelers taking M-15 north as an alterna- tive, compounding the problems that already exist.

Sashabaw Road has been closed in the area since April 21 to allow the Road Commission for Oakland County to cut the hill just north of Clarkston Road.

The work is being done to improve sight distance and should be wrapped up by Aug. 15, said Craig Bryson, spokesman for the RCOC.

Bryson said RCOC employees who work on traffic signals noticed the back-ups at M-15 were getting worse.

“We have already alerted MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation) that some changes were needed,” Bryson said.

The RCOC wants to change the timing of three signals that are placed immediately north of the junction on M-15.

“We’d be increasing the amount of green time for the north-south main road and reducing green time for the east-west side-streets,” Bryson said. “It should certainly help, but obviously traffic is going to be heavier than normal because a lot of that traffic normally uses Sashabaw.”

The first of the lights is at Cranberry Lake Road, where Zeeman turns to get to her house. The following lights are at Deer Ridge Drive and Hubbard Road.

“Sometimes it takes me as long to get from I-75 to my house as it does in travel time,” Zeeman said. “That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but still, I’m just sitting there, waiting and waiting.”

The timing of the signals can be changed by the RCOC, but not until the MDOT approves the changes.

“M-15 is a state trunkline under MDOT’s jurisdiction. We can’t make any changes until MDOT has approved and signed off on everything,” Bryson said. Bryson said the most recent information he has from MDOT states that in 2003, that section of M-15 carried 33,000 cars per day. “I’ve lived here almost 25 years and the traffic, obviously, has gotten worse and worse,” Zeeman said.

Congestion in the area was taking place long before the Sashabaw closure, Zeeman said.

“Sashabaw hasn’t been closed for all that long. That may have compounded it, but we’ve got gridlock here whether Sashabaw is closed or not,” Zeeman said.

Calls to MDOT to find out when a timing change for the lights may be approved was not returned.