Editorial: Monday’s traffic in Belleville was ‘perfect storm’

At the June 2 meeting of the city council, councilwoman Julie Kissel said the traffic that afternoon was “the perfect storm of things.”
Main Street was closed for the first time this season for the Monday Car Show and the first Farmers Market was held right next door. There were lots of people attending the market and about 350 cars parked on Main.
In the meantime, city street repairs continued and High Street was closed to traffic because it was being milled. That meant traffic coming south into the city had to use N. Liberty Street, since High and Main were closed.
Traffic into the city was backed up as far as the I-94 Service Drive to the north.
Then, there was an accident at N. Liberty and E. Huron River Drive that cut off the intersection and put traffic on N. Liberty Street into park. No movement at all until the accident could be cleared.
Plans are to pave High Street to Church Street on Tuesday or Wednesday this week and reopen it on Thursday. That’s when the crews start work on N. Liberty Street, which will be shut down. Plans are to move the fire trucks from the station so they’ll be able to respond to calls.
What the city will be like next Monday is anyone’s guess, but it looks like High Street will be the way around the car show/market. If you are planning to drive through on your way home, you might want to take another route.