Towing in Washington Township, MI

Washington Township begins where Shelby Township stops, at 26 Mile. The run is about 6 road miles from central Shelby Township: north on Van Dyke, through the roundabout onto Campground Road, and on toward 29 Mile.

M-53 is the quicker line to the township's east side. Its 26 Mile interchange, exit 23, sits right on the Shelby-Washington line. Exit 25, near 28 Mile, is the ramp to Van Dyke for Romeo and the end of the freeway proper; north of it the highway runs on as an expressway, with plain intersections at 30 Mile and 32 Mile.

Where in the township are you?

• The south end - the crossroads community of Washington, at 26 Mile and Van Dyke just west of M-53; say which side of the freeway you're on.
• On M-53 - your heading, north or south, plus the exit or crossing behind you: 26 Mile (exit 23), the Van Dyke ramp (exit 25), 30 Mile or 32 Mile.
• The west side - Mt. Vernon Road or Dequindre, which follows the Oakland County line; Mount Vernon is the corner of Mt. Vernon and 28 Mile, Clifton Mills the area near 31 Mile.
• Stony Creek Metropark - the lot, picnic area or launch, since most of the park lies in Washington Township and Oakland Township.
• Anywhere else - the mile road and the nearest north-south road, such as Van Dyke, Campground or Mound.

The township posts road closures through Nixle - text your ZIP code to 888777 - so check the alerts before you tell us which way to come.

Four things set the number: which truck your car calls for, how far it travels, how long the job takes at the roadside and the drop-off point. You hear it as one total during the call, and how a Washington Township tow is priced explains each part.

Stony Creek Metropark keeps cars parked for hours in every season. The park covers more than 4,400 acres around a 500-acre lake, and winter brings 13 miles of groomed ski trails, sledding at the Gladeview and West Branch picnic areas and ice fishing on the lake below 28 Mile. A battery that was tired in the morning may be finished after an afternoon in that cold.

Tell us which lot you're in - the boat launch, the Nature Center or a picnic area. The park's posted hours run 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and cars inside carry a daily or annual vehicle pass. We clamp on a jump pack, start the engine and read the charging voltage before you pull away.

The Macomb Orchard Trail is the other long sit. The township's own page runs almost 24 miles of trail past orchards and cider mills, and the Washington trailhead sits off West Road near Van Dyke. If it won't start after a ride, tell us whether it clicks, cranks slowly or stays silent.

When a pothole takes out a tire, report it: the township's public roads belong to the Macomb County Department of Roads, which takes reports through a service request. We'll fit your spare on the shoulder with our amber beacons behind you, and if the spare is missing or flat too, we carry the car to a tire shop.

Out of fuel between M-53 crossings? Say which fuel the car takes and we'll carry enough for the drive to a station. Keys locked in at a trailhead lot? We open the car with car-opening tools. Each is roadside help at a trailhead or park lot, done where the car sits.

In a Macomb County winter, snow is the first thing to plan around. The county's Department of Roads, which runs one of its four maintenance service centers in Washington Township, clears state and primary roads first and only then starts on local and subdivision streets. Until the plow reaches yours, a car that tries the side street can end up high-centered on packed snow.

Some streets never see a county plow: the township's road page notes that private roads are kept up at the expense of the people who asked for them. If yours hasn't been cleared, say so when you call, because a tow truck needs a passable lane to reach you.

On gravel, the usual trap is a shoulder that looks firm and gives way under one tire. Make one gentle try in reverse, then stop - spinning only digs. For a winch-out off a township gravel road, our truck stays on solid road, the winch line goes to a proper recovery point, and the car comes back out along its own tracks.

Farm country starts here - one of the township's orchards dates to 1813 - and grass or dirt parking at a farm stand turns soft after rain. Inside Stony Creek Metropark we work from the park roads and lots and never drive onto the lake ice; for anything off the pavement, the park office at (586) 781-4242 is the first call.

Our trucks are light-duty. A car, pickup, van or SUV is within their rating; a tractor, a loaded farm truck, an RV or a trailer full of anything is not, and we'll say so on the phone.

Back down Van Dyke past 26 Mile is Shelby Township, the base for our towing in Shelby Township. Romeo starts in this township's northeast corner and runs up into Bruce Township. Southwest, across the county line, is Rochester, and southeast is Macomb Township. Measured from central Shelby Township, Romeo is about 12 road miles away, Rochester about 6 and Macomb Township about 6.

• Washington Township on Wikipedia - the 1827 township's history, its population and the Washington, Mount Vernon and Clifton Mills crossroads.
• Charter Township of Washington - the official site: departments, road projects, the Nixle sign-up and board meetings.
• Stony Creek Metropark - hours, vehicle passes, trail maps and winter activities on the lake.
• Macomb County Department of Roads maintenance - gravel grading, the winter plowing order and pothole service requests.
• Michigan State Police Second District posts - the Metro North Post's counties and phone number.
• MDOT Mi Drive - live cameras, speeds, incidents and lane closures on M-53 and other state highways.