Get out the violins for small-businessmen (and small-businesswomen) who are located on Van Dyke near I-696.
Van Dyke -- all lanes in both directions -- will close for six days starting today (Thursday).
The extremely busy road, just north of Interstate 696 in Warren, will close so Consumers Energy can replace a gas line under the road, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Consumers Energy plans to remove sections of pavement across all lanes.
The closure is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Thursday and end at 5 a.m. Sept. 18. Detours will be posted.
Small businesses will feel the pain and listen for complaints coming from workers at the GM Tech Center -- many of whom live in Oakland County. This is a good time to take advantage of one of Macomb's most underrated roads: Mound, which is basically a divided highway with a few stop lights thrown in.