Road Commission Changes Direction as Commissioners Vote to Cancel Building Project
(Crystal A. Proxmire, June 26, 2025)
Oakland County, MI – At a special meeting June 23 the Road Commission of Oakland County (RCOC) voted to cancel the contract for the long-planned new headquarters in Waterford.
The board, which currently has two members – Eric McPherson and James Esshaki, had been considering whether to keep on track with plans to build the $45 million building in Waterford, or to change course and move into space in the county’s current Executive building, which will be free when offices are moved to Downtown Pontiac.
RCOC has been saving and planning for the new facility for over a decade, saving money through property sales as well as acquiring a $5 million federal grant. The planned facility would put combine administrative operations in one facility. The plan was approved by the RCOC in August of 2024, when there were different commissioners. A contract has been signed and there was a groundbreaking in October 2024. According to published reports, over $4 million has already been spent on the Waterford building process.
McPherson and Esshaki, the current Road Commissioners, voted to end the contract as well as to hire an attorney to help with any legal claims that may arise from the decision.
The RCOC is a separate entity from Oakland County Government, other than the County Commission appointing members to the RCOC’s governing body. The Oakland County Board of Commissioners has asked RCOC to purchase the administration building and to move their offices there.
The Oakland Press reported on a presentation by architects Hubbel and Roth about the costs of renovating the county building, stating it would cost $55 million to renovate the 58-year-old building, with problems like old electrical wiring, and elevators not being able to handle moving the large format printers needed by the RCOC.
Members of the public and RCOC employees spoke at the special meeting, including former Road Commissioner Ron Fowkes who had been part of planning the Waterford site. “I’m begging you not to mess it up,” he said.
Following the decision, State Representative Donni Steel issued a press release stating “I am outraged by the Road Commission’s reckless and politically motivated decision to cancel a vital infrastructure project that has been years in the making. This short-sighted move sacrifices efficiency, public investment, and employee safety in the name of partisan interference and personal agendas.
“Let’s be clear: this facility was not a luxury—it was a necessity. Carefully and responsibly funded with no new taxes or debt, this project was backed by a $5 million federal grant specifically designated for this purpose—money we are now likely to lose. Over $4 million in taxpayer dollars has already been spent. Walking away now is not only fiscally irresponsible—it borders on government malpractice.
“This project would have replaced outdated, inefficient buildings with a modern, consolidated campus—improving operations and service delivery for all Oakland County residents. Instead, we are now being asked to consider cramming road crews into a 58-year-old office building riddled with environmental concerns and higher renovation costs. That’s not a plan—that’s a mistake.
“The workers of the road commission—who show up every day in rain, snow, and ice—deserve better. They deserve leadership that respects their expertise, not commissioners who dismiss their voices and shake their heads when staff and former officials plead for common sense to prevail.”
County Commission Chairperson Dave Woodward responded to Steel’s comments with a statement saying “A new $45M admin building does not build or fix more roads, make them better, or build them faster!
“Under your leadership, for years you’ve failed to deliver needed road funding which puts our state at risk of having only 20% of roads in good condition by 2035, costing drivers $1500 per year on car repairs because of potholes and road conditions, and losing thousands of good paying road construction jobs. Oakland County loses because of your failure.
“Building a new admin office when there is 14+ million sq ft of empty office space in Oakland County is irresponsible! Doing it when we are facing a road funding fiscal cliff is reckless! And doing it at a time when obnoxious tariffs are raising the cost of steel and building materials is a bad and expensive idea!
“Instead of millions going to a new “Taj Mahal” admin building, a better decision is to focus on roads. Now get us our damn road funding and stop prioritizing or politicizing a building that is not getting built.”
