If You Build It They Really Will Come

"Gil Armaly’s morning commute from Clarkston to Walled Lake used to be an easy 12 stoplight drive through countryside dotted with grazing cattle and horses. 'Now it’s 30 (stoplights) and counting,' he said. His daily drive went from 20 minutes two decades ago to a nerve-wracking hour, past subdivision after subdivision. In the past decade, southwest Oakland County has experienced a steady increase in residents and companies moving into the area, with the accompanying jump in traffic. Almost overnight it seems the area got a Target, a Wal-Mart and a Home Depot, along with new schools, houses, office buildings and other businesses. The pace of development is accelerating and officials, residents and builders are pointing to the M-5 Corridor as a big factor. The eight-lane highway, started in 1992 and completed in 2002, was designed to ease traffic flow in the area. Motorists have found it handy. It now carries 40,000 vehicles a day, running five miles from Interstate 696 in Novi north to Pontiac Trail in Commerce Township. But to Armaly, all M-5 has done is encourage more people to live, work and shop in the area."

Thanks to Richard Layman