Semi explosion in Canton Township closes Haggerty & Ford Rd. intersection

Emergency crews were on the scene of a crash in Canton Township that caused an explosion in a semi on Wednesday afternoon.See the latest updates in the video belowWe're told the crash happened in the area of Ford and Haggerty roads. According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, the intersection is closed, as well as the I-275 ramp to Ford Road in both directions.According to the Canton Public Safety Department, a total of nine people were transported to the hospital — five in the vehicles involved and four police officers who were working to rescue those trapped in the vehicle.Officials say the injuries vary from minor to critical, but didn't provide a breakdown of the injuries.We're told emergency crews remain on scene completing the crash investigation and clean-up, and the intersection is expected to be closed for several more hours.Dangers of Ford RoadAccording to a three-year study, there were a staggering 1,000 crashes along Ford Road near I-275 in Canton. That has prompted MDOT to propose a boulevard solution to improve safety and reduce congestion.Watch below: MDOT plans boulevard to address Ford Road safety concerns in CantonThe boulevard would transform Ford Road from Lotz Road, east of I-275 to just west of Sheldon Road, similar to parts of Woodward Avenue where drivers make U-turns to access businesses on the opposite side.MDOT's three-year study from 2016 to 2019 examined 10 intersections with signals, four intersections without signals and six ramps on the I-275 and Ford interchange. The results showed higher-than-average crash rates and significant travel delays throughout the corridor.Jeff Horne, project manager with MDOT, identified a recurring crash pattern along the corridor."We are noticing a lot of angle crashes on the westbound Ford Road. If there are three lanes there, two lanes will stop and then the third lane, cars will continuously drive through and cars will turn left into that business, and then they will get hit by that vehicle in that third lane there, so we call those courtesy crashes. With a boulevard, we won't have that," Horne said.When construction begins in 2028 and 2029, traffic will be reduced to one lane open in each direction, with the center lane open, which raises concerns about traffic flow.