Residents and business owners in Eastpointe, Michigan, have been complaining to the city for months over a proposed construction project called a "road diet." The project would decrease the lanes from five to three on Nine Mile Road between Tuscany Avenue and Kelly Road.

On Wednesday, the city held a public forum to hear from residents, and many came to City Hall to strongly oppose the plan.

"I am not in favor of a road diet," said Mary Hall.  

"The police and fire have said they are not in favor of this. I think you are being very disrespectful to their reasoning and their judgment," said a resident.

Eastpointe Councilmember Cardi DeMonaco Jr. said the construction would help that stretch of Nine Mile Road become a downtown for Eastpointe while also making the road safer. However, business owners and residents alike have come together to voice their concerns that they do not want this. 

"There's over 20,000 vehicles that go up and down this road every day, and some come off at [Interstate] 94 and go all the way down to Mound to some of the factories, so this is highly traveled road ... And it's not broken, why fix it?" saidCarol Reed, who has lived in Eastpointe for 78 years.

The city said the road diet would add additional space allocated for parking, as well as more greenery and a potential roundabout. 

"From Schroeder to Kelly would be narrowed from five lanes to three, so you'd have one lane in each direction, and then a center turn lane would remain," said Eastpointe city engineer Ryan Kern.

Business owners, like David DeRonne, said the decreased lanes would only increase traffic on the already busy road.

"It would only be a matter of time until a delayed response from Police, Fire, or EMS ends tragically for a family," said DeRonne, who co-owns DeRonne Hardware and Rental.

The city said it is looking to get project bids this winter so that it can start construction on the road diet in the spring of 2026.