Confirmed: Levy Working to Reclassify Ormond to Class A, All Season Road
Newly released FOIA records from the Road Commission for Oakland County add important detail to what many Springfield Township residents have long suspected:
Levy is working with RCOC to reclassify Ormond Road from a Class B to a Class A, All Seasons Designated road.
The emails show direct coordination with RCOC about what would be required to bring Ormond Road up to Class A, all-season standards, including traffic counts, pavement ratings, truck turning movements, road width, pavement thickness, and soil conditions.
In one of the clearest emails in the record, dated January 7, 2026, Levy’s Reuben Maxbauer thanked RCOC Managing Director Dennis Kolar for a “very productive meeting” and wrote that Fishbeck had been asked to prepare a report assessing several items, including: current traffic counts, PASER ratings, truck turning radii at key intersections, and “what would be required to bring Ormond Road to Class A, all season standards (including estimated cost).”
Dennis Kolar of the Road Commission for Oakland County responded that he believed the team would have input into “a workable solution for all.”
That matters because a road built or upgraded to handle heavier commercial loads does not just affect one applicant. A Class A, all-season road carries very different implications for truck use than the road’s current status has led many residents to understand.
| Road Type | What It Means | Spring Limits in Records | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class B / “Normal” | Lower-capacity road standard (70,000 lbs max) | 35% reduction | More restrictive for heavy truck traffic |
| Class A / “Designated” | Higher-capacity road standard (~164,000 lbs max) | 25% reduction | Better suited for heavier commercial loads |
| Class A, All-Season Designated | A heavier-duty road standard intended to support large commercial truck traffic more consistently through the year (~164,000 lbs max) | Evaluated as an all-season heavy-haul standard | Would make sustained heavy truck use on Ormond Road for longer time periods |
The same FOIA set includes a December 2025 email from a community management professional summarizing that Class A weight limits on Davisburg Road were 164,000 pounds, while Class B limits on Ormond Road were 70,000 pounds, and noting the much larger gravel train capacity associated with Class A weights.
By late January, Levy told RCOC that Fishbeck had proposed 10 pavement cores and 50 feet of soil borings with sampling along Ormond Road, specifically to provide the cross section RCOC wanted. Kolar circulated that request internally to RCOC staff, identifying it as being “for the Levy pit in Springfield,” and a few days later told Levy, “This is great. Thank you.”
The permit paperwork reinforces the purpose of that work. Tyme Engineering’s January 30, 2026 ROW application states that the pavement cores and soil borings on Ormond Road were intended to evaluate whether the existing pavement section meets RCOC All-Season Road standards. In other words, this test is directly determining whether Ormond Road could meet the standard needed for heavier truck traffic.
Levy is actively working with RCOC and its consultants to determine what would be needed to upgrade Ormond Road to Class A, all-season standards.
Springfield Township’s planning review stated that the proposal anticipates an entrance from Ormond Road, noted that access could change based on input from RCOC, and identified traffic safety, hauling routes, and access to a road with appropriate load-bearing and traffic capacity as issues still requiring review.
The ability of Ormond Road to carry heavier truck traffic appears to have been a central piece of the mining plan, and Levy has been working behind the scenes to define what it would take to make that happen.
The permit for testing Ormond Road was approved and testing took place on April 8/9th. More information here:
Ormond Road Testing Today (4/8/26)
RCOC Permit – Tyme Engineering Testing Ormond Road for Classification (February 24, 2026)
The emails below were obtained through a FOIA request pursued by Amber Keydel. I am also including the original FOIA response so anyone can review the full records for themselves. This organized version is provided simply to make the email chains easier to follow without all of the repeated reply formatting.
FOIA – Road Commission for Oakland County, Requested by Amber Keydel (April 15, 2026)
2 thoughts on “Confirmed: Levy Working to Reclassify Ormond to Class A, All Season Road”
I am concerned with the gravel trains slowing down emergency vehicles going to calls out Davisburg Road As the road may take the weight but I’m sure the shoulder will not and there are very few places to pass and the curves will also prevent passing with emergency vehicles. In most cases there are at least two or more gravel trains coming out together. I Would not want to be waiting on the east side of the township during the day when they are shorthanded and they are pulling the rescue riggs out of station one and they get tied up behind a couple of gravel trains. Nobody knows how much time would be lost and every minute counts.
How steep is the grade between the Levy property and French Lane? Heading south, no way that is safe for the number of daily gravel trains projected for this business! There is a reason Ormond road was never intended to be upgraded to a Class A, All season road. Please don’t approve this application. The safety of pedestrians, children, school buses, and emergency vehicles depends on your decision. once you approve it, it cannot be undone!