MDOT seeks public input for I-94 improvements in Ann Arbor

[afguy]

I know the article is nearly a year old, but I didn't see it posted anywhere else. It looks like MDOT is considering widening I-94 on the southside of Ann Arbor to six lanes and redesigning the U.S. 23/I-94 interchange.

The Michigan Department of Transportation is hosting a meeting Thursday, Nov. 7, to discuss an upcoming project to enhance safety. The community's feedback will help MDOT find alternatives for mobility, reliability and safety improvements from Ann Arbor-Saline Road to U.S. 23, according to a news release.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2019/11/mdot-seeks-public-input-for-i-94-improvements-in-ann-arbor.html

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9621_11058-511325--,00.html

[renegade]

This shall all happen when pigs fly.

[ftballfan]

US-23 (outside of its concurrency with M-14) needs an upgrade even more than I-94 in the immediate Ann Arbor area. When I lived in Ypsilanti, traffic backed up on that stretch almost daily

[dvferyance]

I thought I-94 was already 6 lanes around Ann Arbor.

[GaryV]

I thought I-94 was already 6 lanes around Ann Arbor.

Not between M-14 and US-23, which is to say the part that goes "around" Ann Arbor.

[Ryctor2018]

Both I-94 and U.S. 23 need 6 lanes. Probably M-14 as well, at least from N. Main St. to U.S. 23 north of town.

[JREwing78]

I sincerely hope they don't pull the Flex Lane crap. 3 lanes each way are genuinely needed here. I'm a bit disappointed they're not planning to 6-lane all the way from the M-14 interchange.

The WBD I-94-to-SBD US-23 flyover is much needed; this would allow NBD US-23 to WBD I-94 to get a longer acceleration ramp. The "hybrid" option would also be helpful in getting I-94 to NBD US-23 traffic more safely merged.

And, obviously, US-23 needs widening. At this point, 8-laning it between M-14 and I-94 would probably be appropriate.

[sprjus4]

^

I still don't understand why the Flex Lanes exist on US-23. The lanes are the size of a regular general purpose lane. Just make it a 3rd full time general purpose lane and call it a day.

Sure, you'd only have a 4 foot left shoulder. That's quite normal on 6 lane freeways. Sometimes you'll get a full paved left shoulder that's up to full specifications, but other times you won't. Besides, it's not even an interstate highway, so it wouldn't matter.

[Flint1979]

The stretch of US-23 between I-94 and the first M-14 interchange where it goes towards Plymouth is a nightmare. Try to even keep the speed limit through there, good luck. Left lane hog central through there and the flex lanes are pointless unless they are used 24 hours a day. The entire US-23 corridor from Flint to Toledo needs a major upgrade and they could use this time to remove US-223 and have it become a state highway.

[Flint1979]

Never understood why it drops down to 4 lanes and then goes back to 6 lanes only to go back to 4 lanes west of Baker Road. I-94 should really beat least 6 lanes through the entire state and have more lanes in the Detroit area. It goes through the most populated area and connects to the third largest metro area in the country there is no need for it to have less than 6 lanes I don't get it. US-23 is the same way only it doesn't serve the larger metro areas but rather serves as a bypass of Detroit mixed in with local traffic I don't get why it's anything less than 6 lanes and 8 lanes in the stretch between MM 35 and MM 45. They have traffic going in all directions around there MDOT seems to be 20 years behind on projects.

[dvferyance]

I thought I-94 was already 6 lanes around Ann Arbor.

Not between M-14 and US-23, which is to say the part that goes "around" Ann Arbor.

Your right on that but it is 6 lanes for a time west of M-14 which is what threw me off. Makes no sense being 6 lanes west of Ann Arbor but only 4 around it.

[Flint1979]

I thought I-94 was already 6 lanes around Ann Arbor.

Not between M-14 and US-23, which is to say the part that goes "around" Ann Arbor.

Your right on that but it is 6 lanes for a time west of M-14 which is what threw me off. Makes no sense being 6 lanes west of Ann Arbor but only 4 around it.

I've always found it unusual how it goes to four lanes between M-14 and US-23 too. It goes back to two lanes about four miles west of M-14 after Baker Road.

[GaryV]

I thought I-94 was already 6 lanes around Ann Arbor.

Not between M-14 and US-23, which is to say the part that goes "around" Ann Arbor.

Your right on that but it is 6 lanes for a time west of M-14 which is what threw me off. Makes no sense being 6 lanes west of Ann Arbor but only 4 around it.

I've always found it unusual how it goes to four lanes between M-14 and US-23 too. It goes back to two lanes about four miles west of M-14 after Baker Road.

I think the assumption is that a fair amount of traffic was going to exit at M-14 (wb) or US-23 (eb) so the third lane wasn't needed.  I don't travel that section often (I'm one of those who use M-14) so I don't know if that's [still] a valid assumption.

As far as going back to 2 lanes past Baker Road, that's like many other freeways.  There are extra lanes near a city for presumed commuter traffic; farther out the traffic thins out so 2 lanes suffice.    Most times I've driven it, two lanes is enough between Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo.  But you can get trapped behind a truck micro-passing another truck.

[Flint1979]

I thought I-94 was already 6 lanes around Ann Arbor.

Not between M-14 and US-23, which is to say the part that goes "around" Ann Arbor.

Your right on that but it is 6 lanes for a time west of M-14 which is what threw me off. Makes no sense being 6 lanes west of Ann Arbor but only 4 around it.

I've always found it unusual how it goes to four lanes between M-14 and US-23 too. It goes back to two lanes about four miles west of M-14 after Baker Road.

I think the assumption is that a fair amount of traffic was going to exit at M-14 (wb) or US-23 (eb) so the third lane wasn't needed.  I don't travel that section often (I'm one of those who use M-14) so I don't know if that's [still] a valid assumption.

As far as going back to 2 lanes past Baker Road, that's like many other freeways.  There are extra lanes near a city for presumed commuter traffic; farther out the traffic thins out so 2 lanes suffice.    Most times I've driven it, two lanes is enough between Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo.  But you can get trapped behind a truck micro-passing another truck.

I-94 never really seems to thin out on traffic though so those four lanes really aren't enough I don't think. US-23 is the same way, the traffic doesn't thin out enough to justify only four lanes. Another one is I-75 north of Bay City and a small section of I-75 between the US-23 split and I-475's southern end that are only four lanes. The part in the Flint area should indeed be at least six lanes and the part north of Bay City should be at six lanes until at least exit 188. An example of I-75 needing more lanes north of Bay City struck me about a week ago, I was traveling NB on a Tuesday and everyone kept dropping their speeds for no reason, it's a 75 mph stretch and almost everyone is doing at least 80, a car jumps in the left lane doing about 68-70 and holds everyone up behind him. That happens on US-23 a lot too but the speed limit there is only 70 but still people are doing 80 and that is fine. I just wish people that are holding traffic up behind them would move out of the way more quickly.

[captkirk_4]

I remember driving 94 from Jackson to the Airport and just after entering the Ann Arbor area heading east there is a very poorly designed entry ramp a mile past where 14 splits off. That street where there is some billboard advertising some historic German sounding named restaurant. The traffic comes up and has almost no length on the merge to get up to speed and I had to make a sudden lane change because there was this car barely up to 30 already in the main lane.

[Flint1979]

I remember driving 94 from Jackson to the Airport and just after entering the Ann Arbor area heading east there is a very poorly designed entry ramp a mile past where 14 splits off. That street where there is some billboard advertising some historic German sounding named restaurant. The traffic comes up and has almost no length on the merge to get up to speed and I had to make a sudden lane change because there was this car barely up to 30 already in the main lane.

You are probably talking about the Jackson Avenue exit, the on ramp to eastbound I-94 has an elbow bend just before you enter the freeway it has a suggested speed of 20 mph so you are going from that bend directly onto the freeway.

[JCinSummerfield]

Correct about Jackson Road, and the entrance.  And there are warning signs on I-94 to prepare drivers of slow moving traffic.  The reason the highway hasn't been expanded around A2 is real estate, particularly on that very same corner, where it is right up against a cemetery on one side, and a shopping center on another.