Canton Township's Ford Road to get 4 new businesses amid safety concerns

Añadido: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]Ford Road is a major corridor through Canton Township with more than 40,000 vehicles traveling on it each and every day.

[00:00:06]>> According to statewide data, it also has three to four times more crashes than the average intersection with IKEA and other big box stores as the main draw.

[00:00:15]Things aren't slowing down.

[00:00:16]>> Yeah, but now a plan is in the works to add four more businesses to the already congested area.

[00:00:23]>> 7 News Detroit's Tony Geft is your Canton reporter. Today he spoke with township leaders about the plans, drivers who say they avoid the road, and the owner of a small business nearby.

[00:00:35]>> This parking lot off Ford Road near IKEA is slated for a small 4unit commercial building. It's prompting some other small business owners and drivers to ask, "What does that mean for this already busy corridor? Ford Road in Canton can be so congested, some drivers make their own detours."

[00:00:52]>> We try to avoid Ford Road at all costs.

[00:00:54]>> I see a lot of accidents. I'm not sure why honestly. I think it's a lot of the Michigan drivers.

[00:01:00]>> Yeah, just a little tail light. I was able to replace it. So, >> Shannon Salis was just in an accident in a busy parking lot 2 months ago. She blames in part drivers racing to turn left and cut across oncoming traffic so they can pull into the business's parking lots.

[00:01:14]>> Actually, while I had gotten into that accident, right across the street, someone had just gotten into an accident on Ford Road 5 minutes after I did. So the officer that was with us ended up traveling across the street >> to take care of that accident.

[00:01:27]>> Having the boulevard will prohibit a lot of the left turns that go on to Ford Road.

[00:01:31]>> Patrick Sloan is the community planner for Canton Township. He explains MDOT is working on a plan to install boulevards along Ford Road beginning in 2028. Those Michigan left Sloan says will make it safer.

[00:01:42]>> How about this 4unit business they have yet to construct? Is there room for all that?

[00:01:48]>> There is. Uh there's will actually be an increase in the amount of green space because currently that parking lot has no landscaping.

[00:01:53]>> Sloan also says the driveway will most likely take shape with right turns only.

[00:01:57]That's how the new raising canes is designed. He calls it a traffic safety measure to help prevent accidents and backups >> with the accidents that happen here on on a daily basis sometimes. It's it's nuts. So hopefully that will lessen the accidents and it'll be safer for people to drive on Ford Road.

[00:02:14]>> Mahmud al-Hassan is the co-owner of Peipos. For the past 5 years, he's been running this restaurant near IKEA.

[00:02:21]Experiences firsthand how frustrating, even dangerous, traffic can be. However, with the proper planning, Al Hassan is ready to welcome some new neighboring businesses.

[00:02:29]>> The more businesses in the area, it'll be a hub for everybody to come shop in the area, come eat here. Of course, >> there are no tenants announced for that new building at this time, but Sloan says it should be fully constructed before work on the Ford Road Boulevard even begins in Canton Township. Tony Gus, 7 News Detroit.

[00:02:46]>> All right, Tony, thank you. Tony Gus is your Canton reporter. He closely follows communities in western Wayne County.

[00:02:52]That's Westland, Garden City, and Redford as well. So, if you have a store you'd like him to look into, you can scan this QR code or send Tony an email at [email protected]. Gus at wxyz.com.