Michigan Notes

[CoolAngrybirdsrio4]

Every time I drive past US 23 in the afternoon (especially around 3-4pm), it was always on jam, especially around Ann Arbor.

[JREwing78]

Honestly I think with the development and everything it would be very hard to widen I-94 in Ann Arbor between M-14 and US-23. A re-route of the highway might need to be done in order to do that.

A 6 to 8-lane fully Interstate-standard freeway needs, at a minimum:

10-foot outer shoulder
3-4 12-foot travel lanes
10 foot inner shoulder
12 feet in the median for bridge abutments, drainage, barrier, etc
10 foot inner shoulder
3-4 12-foot travel lanes
10 foot outer shoulder

Total minimum width: 124 feet for 6 lanes, 148 feet for 8 lanes

I-94 is sitting on 200' right-of-way. So even if they jam in 8 lanes through there, there's room. Even with 8 lanes, there's 26 feet on each side to install barriers, noise walls, and whatever else might be needed. If MDOT purchases additional right-of-way width, it's because it's cheaper to do so v.s. the cost to jam it into the 200' wide footprint.

The Lodge Freeway (M-10) squeezes a 6-lane freeway into a 100-foot wide footprint between the service drives. They cheat a little by cantilevering a few feet of guardrail and service drive over the freeway. But they can be forgiven - consider that those 6 lanes of freeway, full-width outer shoulders, 12 feet in the middle for bridge abutment, barrier, and lighting, 6 lanes of service drives, a few feet of grass strip, and outer sidewalks all fit into 200 feet of right-of-way.

By comparison, I-94 around Ann Arbor is a cakewalk - mainly suburban, and room for modest additional amounts of ROW without touching any buildings. It would certainly be easier if MDOT was working with 300 ' or 400' of ROW, but

The draft 2023-2027 Five-Year Plan is now available on MDOT's website. The only highlights for me are the 1-375 removal project that will begin in 2027 and the total reconstruction of U.S. 23 between I-94 and M-14, including replacing all the bridges along that stretch. I'm really hoping MDOT adds a third lane here because that stretch of U.S. 23 needs it.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/-/media/Project/Websites/MDOT/Programs/Planning/Five-Year-Transportation-Program/2023-2027-Draft-5YTP.pdf?rev=7be7999b307e4779a0aa4a9b8c2a80bd&hash=F042F924BA941C9D5B0C255B01212DCC

Pretty safe bet it's going to be at a minimum 6 lanes, and probably 8 between Washtenaw Ave and I-94. Unlike US-23 north of M-14, the overpasses are wide enough as they sit now to take 6 lanes. Even if that was a problem, they're replacing the bridges anyway, so there's no cost benefit to building a "Flex Lane". They *might* build the outer shoulder wide enough for Flex Lanes, but that'll be in addition to 6 full-time travel lanes.

The whole Flex Lane thing for north of M-14 was about buying time before having to completely replace the roadway from the ground up. As much as we despise the idea, it working well enough for MDOT to expand its use to other areas.

As pointed out earlier, MDOT is working with a limited budget that could easily be curtailed further out of political expediency. US-23 north of Ann Arbor is a busy roadway, yes, but there are freeways in Michigan that need widening more. I'd rather the money for widening got prioritized for things like I-94 (and it's > 10,000 commercial trucks per day) than for a roadway like US-23 that's mostly commuter traffic.

[JREwing78]

I found this interesting section in the 5-year plan:

County: Houghton
Route: US-41
Location: US-41 and M-26, Railroad (Abandoned) over
Portage Lake and EB M-26
Type of work: Bridge Miscellaneous
$ allocated in 2023

County: Houghton
Route: US-41
Location: US-41 and M-26, Railroad (Abandoned) over
Portage Lake and EB M-26
Type of work: Special Needs
$ allocated in 2023

County: Houghton
Route: US-41
Location: US-41 and M-26, Railroad (Abandoned) over
Portage Lake and EB M-26
Type of work: Bridge Replacement
$ allocated in 2026

This is obviously about the Portage Lake Lift Bridge connecting Houghton to Hancock. It is fairly old (opened to traffic in 1959) but still in fair condition according to the National Bridge Inventory. It was recognized as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) on June 17.

I would be surprised if MDOT was seriously considering a full replacement in the next 20 years. It is expensive to maintain, but any alternative that would functionally replace it would also be expensive. I also doubt MDOT is seriously entertaining the idea of an out-of-town bypass, which would go over like a copper balloon (100 years ago it was a major copper mining area).

Update: Apparently, this funding is for a deck replacement, which makes complete sense.

[afguy]

Speaking of the bridges on U.S. 23 north of M-14, MDOT is planning to replace the Warren and Joy Rod bridges over U.S. 23 in 2026.

[vegas1962]

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2022/07/05/us-31-m-22-roundabout-project-in-manistee-township-starts-july-12

MDOT began a project to convert the US-31/M-22 intersection near the Little River Casino north of Manistee into a roundabout.  Construction will run through October 2022.  The Little River tribe apparently is kicking in some money on the project as they expect to benefit from the finished project, making it safer (presumably) for northbound US-31 travelers to navigate to the casino.  The old intersection was at an odd angle and controlled only by flasher signals and stop signs.

[Terry Shea]

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2022/07/05/us-31-m-22-roundabout-project-in-manistee-township-starts-july-12

MDOT began a project to convert the US-31/M-22 intersection near the Little River Casino north of Manistee into a roundabout.  Construction will run through October 2022.  The Little River tribe apparently is kicking in some money on the project as they expect to benefit from the finished project, making it safer (presumably) for northbound US-31 travelers to navigate to the casino.  The old intersection was at an odd angle and controlled only by flasher signals and stop signs.

All they needed to do was to put up a traffic signal.  What a waste!

[thenetwork]

Every time I drive past US 23 in the afternoon (especially around 3-4pm), it was always on jam, especially around Ann Arbor.

Did MDOT ever widen M-14 east of US-23 to make it a full 6-laner between US-23 & I-96/275?

[afguy]

Every time I drive past US 23 in the afternoon (especially around 3-4pm), it was always on jam, especially around Ann Arbor.

Did MDOT ever widen M-14 east of US-23 to make it a full 6-laner between US-23 & I-96/275?

No, unfortunately MDOT has not widened M-14 east of US-23. The only six lane sections of M-14 are the short section with US-23 and the section from just east of Ridge Rd to the I-96/I-275 Interchange in Livonia.

[Terry Shea]

Every time I drive past US 23 in the afternoon (especially around 3-4pm), it was always on jam, especially around Ann Arbor.

Did MDOT ever widen M-14 east of US-23 to make it a full 6-laner between US-23 & I-96/275?

No, unfortunately MDOT has not widened M-14 east of US-23. The only six lane sections of M-14 are the short section with US-23 and the section from just east of Ridge Rd to the I-96/I-275 Interchange in Livonia.

Does MDOT ever do anything right or in a timely fashion?

[afguy]

A few more projects from the latest 5-year plan that caught my eye include MDOT's plans to replace every bridge along US-127 north of I-496 to I-69 with the exception of the State Rd bridge. MDOT is also replacing the US-23 bridges around Milan at Plank Rd, Milan-Oakville Rd, Saline River and Carpenter Rd in 2023. My only criticism of the US-23 project is that they are not replacing the railroad bridge in this area as well. By not replacing this bridge now, it will cost more in the long run when MDOT ever does decide US-23. The final project that caught my eye, while not listed in the 5-year plan is a project to rehabilitate I-75 between W. Court St and the northern terminus of I-475 and to replace bridges at Carpenter and Coldwater Roads in 2028. I seriously hope MDOT adds a fourth lane to this section of I-75 as it is needed. The I-75 project can be seen on this interactive map on MDOT's website.
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/f3a4872ac4444f5eac3adf4c656d0a53/page/page_0/?views=view_3

[Flint1979]

Other than extreme rural areas every Interstate in Michigan could use an extra lane in each direction.

[afguy]

Here's a rendering the "braid" design that MDOT is constructing to take EB and WB I-696 traffic to NB I-75 as part of the I-75 Modernization Project in Oakland County. Work on the I-75/I-696 interchange is supposed to wrap up in November.

[afguy]

The Grand Traverse County Road Commission is planning to build a $100 million bridge that would cross the Boardman River. If built, it would be the third longest bridge in Michigan.
$100 million bridge planned for Traverse City would be third longest in state

The Grand Traverse County Road Commission has been working for decades to build a new crossing over the Boardman River, the report said. The board recently voted to accept Hartman-Hammond as the preferred location.

If everything goes smoothly, it will be another six years before vehicles are driving over the river at that spot, the report said. Environmental review, property acquisition, design/engineering will all come before an estimated two-year construction process. Federal, state and local funding will also need to come through.

https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/08/100-million-bridge-planned-for-traverse-city-would-be-third-longest-in-state.html

[JREwing78]

The Grand Traverse County Road Commission is planning to build a $100 million bridge that would cross the Boardman River. If built, it would be the third longest bridge in Michigan.

That mainly goes to show how rare long bridges are in Michigan. We can argue whether this would truly stand as the 3rd longest bridge in Michigan - I-196 over the Grand River and US-131 clocks in at 2800', for instance. Still, 2000' isn't anything to sneeze at.

If anywhere in northern Michigan justifies such an investment, it would be Traverse City. I just wonder what $100 million could accomplish in terms of improving traffic if it wasn't sunk into a new bridge.

[triplemultiplex]

Boy, it sure doesn't look like a hundred million dollar bridge.
A two-lane span over a small river and its floodplain costs that much? Ouch.  (or is that four-lane undivided?  hard to tell from image.  Either way, ouch.)

Location:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.71527,-445.61946&z=14&t=M

There's a bridge a mile north and a bridge a mile south over this river.  I guess it'll be one leg of a rather half-ass bypass route around Traverse City.  I dunno; seems like a huge cost for a mostly redundant crossing in a place that will never build what's actually needed to get people around.

Seems the authors got fact-checked out of their "third longest bridge" claim.  They pointed to M-231 over the Grand River.
To me, I think they've got more than 2,000 feet of the 3 (soon to be 4) international bridges in their state so that further dilutes the claim.

[Flint1979]

The International bridges are all over 2,000 feet but only half the bridge is in Michigan in each case. Also the Rouge River Bridge also on I-75 is longer than the Zilwaukee Bridge is.

[JREwing78]

Seems the authors got fact-checked out of their "third longest bridge" claim.  They pointed to M-231 over the Grand River.
To me, I think they've got more than 2,000 feet of the 3 (soon to be 4) international bridges in their state so that further dilutes the claim.

Granted, it was 7 years ago, but $151 million paid for the entire 2-lane M-231 bypass, including a 300' ROW, several overpasses, and 7 miles of 2-lane roadway.

It sounds like, being a new build bridge, Grand Traverse County is being forced to build a high structure here, which certainly jacks up the costs. It's also not clear what amount of money is dedicated to other improvements along Hartman-Hammond to accommodate the anticipated traffic.

The costs don't stop at the new bridge, however. It will also require heavy maintenance costs to keep it functional through its design life, which may or may not be sustainable. It's not like county governments in Michigan are doing so hot at bridge maintenance on much lesser spans.

[afguy]

MDOT is planning a $50 million upgrade for Michigan Ave between Campus Martius and I-96.
Michigan Avenue in Detroit's Corktown to undergo $50 million overhaul

The project, scheduled to start in 2024, is intended to tie into Ford Motor Co.'s renovation of Michigan Central Station, the nation's first wireless EV-charging road and the broader vision of creating a "connected corridor" from Detroit to Ann Arbor.

The Detroit Mobility and Innovation Corridor will include:

Expanded sidewalks and pedestrian amenities such as seating, lighting and street trees

• Raised bike lanes at sidewalk level for areas with existing lanes, new dedicated and buffered bike lanes downtown and bike racks
  

• Two center-running dedicated lanes for transit vehicles and for connected and autonomous vehicles, with transit signal priority to limit waiting time
  

• Concrete transit islands and new shelters with improved amenities
  

• Additional/enhanced mid-block pedestrian crossings with improved markings and islands
  

• New signalized intersections
  

The red brick drag at the heart of Corktown, beloved for its historical value but bemoaned by motorists for its poor condition, will be replaced by new red concrete pavers while the old brick "will be carefully removed, restored, and reincorporated into other aspects of the roadway's design," according to the RAISE grant application.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/infrastructure/michigan-avenue-corktown-get-50-million-overhaul

[wanderer2575]

Here's a rendering the "braid" design that MDOT is constructing to take EB and WB I-696 traffic to NB I-75 as part of the I-75 Modernization Project in Oakland County. Work on the I-75/I-696 interchange is supposed to wrap up in November.

Here's another sketch showing the complete movements:

[roadman65]

Why are all highways in Michigan called Trunklines?

[paulthemapguy]

Why are all highways in Michigan called Trunklines?

As stated on my website's glossary, "Trunk" is a word to describe highways used by people who like talking about trees. 

[Terry Shea]

Why are all highways in Michigan called Trunklines?

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trunk%20line#:~:text=Definition%20of%20trunk%20line,b%20%3A%20trunk%20sense%205b

[bulldog1979]

Why are all highways in Michigan called Trunklines?

When the system was created in 1913, the legislation called them "State Reward Trunk Line Highways". Over the years, "reward" was removed from the name (the state was no longer paying county road commissions to maintain the highways on its behalf) and the space was removed to result in "trunkline". As mentioned above, a "trunkline" implies a main corridor in a transportation system, and since traffic funnels onto the state highways to pass from place to place, that adjective is appropriate.

[jzn110]

My only criticism of the US-23 project is that they are not replacing the railroad bridge in this area as well. By not replacing this bridge now, it will cost more in the long run when MDOT ever does decide US-23.

Railroad bridges are usually owned and maintained by whichever rail company owns the tracks crossing it. MDOT probably can't touch it without the involvement of the rail company.

[afguy]

MDOT has unveiled three options for improving the ramps at M-14/Barton Drive. I personally prefer the 4th option which is the "dogbone" interchange design.
Potential changes to Ann Arbor M-14 interchange could include extended ramps, roundabouts

Officials have now unveiled some concepts under consideration to reconfigure the interchange. They include four alternatives, with the first representing the status quo and no additional construction or changes, for comparison with the other options.The second would involve closing the eastbound M-14 ramps at Barton Drive, without changing the westbound ramps. Approximately 10,000 vehicles a day use the eastbound ramps, according to an MDOT video presentation.The third, "modified loop"  design would move the eastbound ramps further north on MDOT property, allowing for free-flowing traffic to merge onto the highway without having to slow to a stop.

Designs show the reconfiguration would also include a nature trail connection crossing the ramps. A trail now runs from Whitmore Lake Road, through a tunnel under M-14 north of the current ramps and on to Pontiac Trail.The last, "dog bone"  design is configured as a diamond interchange with single-lane roundabouts at the end of the ramps, connecting both sides of the highway to Whitmore Lake Road, where another traffic circle would be installed.


Sidewalks and trail connections are also included in the design, indicated in light blue.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2022/09/potential-changes-to-ann-arbor-m-14-interchange-could-include-extended-ramps-roundabouts.html