Residents have mixed feelingsabout state plans to make major changes on U.S. 23 between Silver Lake Road near Brighton and M-14 near Ann Arbor as part of a $120million upgrade designed to ease traffic congestion.
Aslew of road improvement projects, whichgot started last week and are expected to be completed late next year, will includea flex route system of widened shoulders that can be opened to traffic during congestion, overhead electronic signage, overpass replacements and other road and ramp work in Livingston and Washtenaw counties.
Many Livingston County residents gathered around renderings of the future Eight Mile Road interchange at a public forum hostedby state officials Wednesday at Whitmore Lake High School.
A portion of the Eight Mile Road overpass over northbound U.S. 23 was temporarily replaced earlier this year after a semi-tractor trailer crash damaged beams beyond repair, and it had to be demolished.
It will be rebuilt, and the new overpass, which was planned before the crash, will be moved north and connect tothree roundabouts at northbound and southboundU.S. 23 and Whitmore Lake Road.
While the roundabout plan is notpopular with everyone, some residents saidthey like the idea.
"I think this will help traffic flow better. Taking out stop lights will move it along,"TimSaville of Whitmore Lake said.
Lead designer Suzann Winkelman, a traffic engineer with MDOT, said the roundabouts are designed to do just that —ease traffic congestion.
"In this area, there isa lot of congestion, with three stop lights and people getting backed up," Winkelmansaid. "The roundabouts are really going to flush traffic through here."
Renderings of the overpass show raised sidewalks, pilasters lit from the inside anddesign features, which Winkelman said were meant to bepleasing to the eye and functional.
"I like that the bridge is lit with low light instead of big bright lights and that it has sidewalks, and I like that it's going to be decorated and landscaped," Saville said.
Sidewalks could be extended beyond the bridge, if Northfield and Green Oak townships decide to add them. Winkelman said MDOT is only allowed to place sidewalks on the actual bridge.
Short changed on flex route?
Some residents said they felt short changed that a flex route system on about 10 miles of U.S. 23between M-14 near Ann Arbor stretching north to M-36/Nine Mile Road in Green Oak Townshipwill not extend more thanabout mileinto LivingstonCounty.
MDOT will widen left-hand shoulders into the median, whichwillopen to traffic temporarily,generallymorningsfor southbound U.S. 23,evening rush hour for northbound U.S. 23and for college football traffic. Electronic signs about every half mile will alert motorists when the lanes are open.
"The monies and land that were available for this project only allows it to go to M-36, and that point it will go from having the extra flex lane down to two lanes. There would be backups every day going northbound,"Green Oak Township resident Curt Bond said.
Story continues below MDOT video on the flex route
"In terms of the overall traffic flow, I think it's going to improve it in the long run, especially going south in the morning, with traffic going to M-14 to the east and going down into Ann Arbor," Dale Brewer of Green Oak Township said. "But it is going to bottleneck between (M-36/Nine Mile Road) and I-96."
It is about five miles from M-36 north to I-96.
"I really think you need a third lane," instead of opening shoulders to traffic, Saville said.
MDOT design engineer Jack Rick said a full third lane isout of the question for now.
Adding an extra lane on the 10 miles of highway where the flex route is going inwould cost about $600 million, MDOT officials estimated.
READ MORE:MDOT officials discuss US 23 revamp
"For us to install a full 12-foot third lane in the median would also require a full 12-foot shoulder. We just don't have that much room in the median, so we would have to reconstruct the entire freeway to do that, and it would have to be moved over," Rick said.
However, new bridges at Eight Mile, Six Mile and North Territorial roads will be built with larger widthsunderneath "so if it ever is needed in the future, we have that space there," he said.
The project comes on the heels of a $70 million reconstruction of the U.S. 23 and I-96 interchange, which is just wrapping up after nearly two years.
Contact Livingston Daily county and townships reporter Jennifer Eberbach at 517-548-7148 or at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.
