NILES, Mich. (WNDU) – A drug controversy is brewing in Niles.

Some homeowners experience cracks in their floors, walls and ceilings.

Three homeowners on Oakdale Boulevard blame vibrations created by nearby crews working to break up and move a concrete section of US 12 east of M-51. Work started in December 2023.

“They were breaking the concrete and removing the ramps from the road. They had a big diesel tractor, it looked like a cylinder but it wasn’t a round cylinder. It was a four square circle and every time that thing hit the concrete the house was shaking and you felt like you were jumping,” Oakdale resident Elaine Griffith told WNDU 16 News Now. “I have a window that won’t open and close, I had to replace it, my back door won’t close properly, my sliding door is leaking.”

Cracks appeared in the cinder block basement of Elaine’s home, which was built in 1955. Cracks also appeared in the poured concrete walls of Margie Tripp’s house, which was built in 2007.

“The cracks in the walls are also present outside the house. “Just as it starts inside, it also happens outside,” Tripp said. “And they’re trying to say, oh, it was like that before, it was like that. How do they know what it was like before?”

Two of the homeowners filed a lawsuit against the contractor. So far both have been rejected.

MDOT spokesman Nicholas Schirripa issued a written statement, saying in part: “Our agency and contractor are absolutely sensitive to the impacts of our work on communities and property. We take these allegations very seriously and will work diligently to reach a fair and equitable resolution.”

Repairing the damage through insurance would require a deductible of $3,000 to $5,000, Griffith said.

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