Michigan Notes

[The Ghostbuster]

At least when the Interstate 75 junction with present-day 375 is reconstructed, traffic will not have to exit to stay on Interstate 75. I wonder if and how the current spur from 75/375 to Gratiot Avenue will be redeveloped, although if downtown Milwaukee when the Park East Freeway was torn down is any guide, redevelopment of the vacated land may be a long and slow process.

[JREwing78]

MDOT will be hosting a public house for the I-194 PEL study. From what I've seen from the long-term transportation plan for Battle Creek, the goal is either to do a full reconstruction or downgrade it to a boulevard similar to the I-375 plan in Detroit.

The PEL study will focus on the I-194 corridor from the north side of the I-94/I-194 interchange to Fountain Street in Battle Creek. I-194 plays a significant role in Calhoun County by providing regional connections to I-94 and downtown Battle Creek. The PEL study is a collaborative process that considers environmental, community, and economic goals in transportation planning.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2023/06/07/mdot-public-open-house-for-i-194-pel-study-in-calhoun-county

Yeah, there's no reason to pursue a downgrade here. It doesn't need a widening or anything extravagant. It just needs some modernization.

The interchange layout at Dickman Rd doesn't necessary need a change. But the "Magnificent Motor Mile" needs sidewalks and bike paths - it's an area that is in the city center, after all. And as @triplemultiplex suggested, let's make the Dickman Rd crossing of the Kalamazoo River something other than a weed-choked impoundment. Probably also a discussion for another day. However, MDOT owns both of these messes and should clean them up.

At Columbia Ave (M-96), a diverging diamond interchange would be useful. Also, a sidewalk/bike path are needed (and frankly, need to be extended along Columbia Ave both ways, but that's a discussion for another time). Otherwise, rebuild the overpass and call it a day.

Where I would recommend major changes is at the other end at I-94. C/D lanes between M-294 (Beadle Lake Rd) and Capital Ave SW are needed (regardless of whether I-94 is 6-laned in the next 20 years), and under I-194/M-66, they should be barrier separated (much like at I-94 and I-69 a few miles east). This would allow for plenty of time for all traffic to safely weave and merge as necessary to negotiate the three interchanges at Beadle Lake Rd, I-94/M-66, and Capital Ave SW.

The EBD rest area just east of Capital Ave SW needs to be relocated about 2 miles east, between Hedges Ln and Stone Jug Rd, and expanded to handle the > 10,000 commercial trucks that ply this section of I-94 daily. The current rest area is jammed full constantly and is too close to the Capital Ave SW exit. It's the first official EBD rest area for 95 miles and desperately needs a change. MDOT could also use another EBD rest area north of the Indiana line; I'd split the difference between the one at MM 35 and the one at MM 72 and put one in between the Decatur and Paw Paw exits, around MM 58.

The stoplight at Beckley Rd begs for something different, but they kinda missed the boat 50 years ago when they didn't obtain the ROW for it. They could put a SPUI or a parclo in (both would chew up commercial property south of Beckley Rd, but are doable. They could also move the ramps about 1500' south and come in behind the commercial properties, with traffic headed to/from SBD M-66 connecting to Whitmark Dr and NBD M-66 connecting to 6 Mile Rd.

MDOT also needs to extend the boulevard section of M-66 south to about F Drive South, and enforce access limits before sprawl makes it too expensive. I don't envision M-66 ever needing to become a freeway, but it's the most important N-S corridor and has the traffic to justify extension. I envision it looking much like M-37 immediately south of M-6.

[afguy]

MLive.com had a fairly detailed article about the ongoing U.S. 23 study in Ann Arbor. So far it looks like the leading alternatives are adding an additional lane between I-94 and M-14 or adding flex lanes. I honestly believe MDOT will widen 23 which is sorely needed. The study will wrap up next summer with construction starting in 2026 at the earliest.

Big U.S. 23 project coming to Ann Arbor corridor. Here's how to weigh in

Plans under development through the study process could include replacing the bridges along the route – four of which are in "poor"  condition, according to a state database – as well as possibly widening the highway, MDOT officials previously told MLive/The Ann Arbor News.Additional lanes are a possibility, as is the addition of a flex lane, like the one present north of Ann Arbor on U.S. 23, they said.

Needs identified on the corridor include addressing aging infrastructure, modernizing antiquated geometric elements of the highway and easing the congestion, according to a MDOT video about the study process. The study will look at the condition of pavement and bridges, stormwater quality, operational deficiencies, non-motorized and transit connections across U.S. 23, traffic noise, aesthetics and the impact on surrounding land uses, officials say.

Goals of the project include increasing safety for users of multiple modes of transportation, including cyclists and public transit users, and working toward state and Ann Arbor goals of eliminating deaths and serious injuries on roadways and streets.

The study area stretches from the I-94 interchange to the south to the easternmost M-14 interchange to the north, including busy exits and crossings at Ellsworth Road, Packard Street, Washtenaw Avenue, Geddes Road, Earhart Road and Plymouth Road.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2023/06/big-us-23-project-coming-to-ann-arbor-corridor-heres-how-to-weigh-in.html&subscribed=google-oauth2%7C111097261880221082500

[JREwing78]

MLive.com had a fairly detailed article about the ongoing U.S. 23 study in Ann Arbor. So far it looks like the leading alternatives are adding an additional lane between I-94 and M-14 or adding flex lanes. I honestly believe MDOT will widen 23 which is sorely needed. The study will wrap up next summer with construction starting in 2026 at the earliest.

I agree. They have to replace overpasses and rebuild most (all?) of the interchanges; there's no way MDOT is going to be able to band-aid this part of US-23 like the recently Flex-Laned section north to M-36. The traffic counts easily justify 3 lanes each way, approaching a need for 4 lanes each way in places. Available ROW is also a non-issue on this section, unlike that of the Flex-Laned section.

What I suspect MDOT will do is opt for a 6-lane footprint with a Flex Lane to open it up to 8-lanes, but build it out with sufficient room to add one more permanent lane later, to an 8-lane that can Flex to 10 lanes.

Between Washtenaw Ave and I-94, I could see 8 permanent lanes initially, with option to add 2 more and the option to Flex to 12. It's hard to overbuild on that section, which somehow is pulling over 80,000 vpd with 2 lanes.

They might as well continue on to US-12/Michigan Ave, which is nearly as busy as the section just before the east M-14 interchange. There's little evidence that the 8% population growth per decade Washtenaw County clocked between 2010 and 2020 is going to slow anytime soon.

[Flint1979]

This is honestly how US-23 should go starting in the north in Flint at the I-75 interchange near Bishop Airport.

I-75 split to I-96: 6 lanes.
I-96 to US-12: 8 lanes.
US-12 to the Ohio line: 6 lanes.

And let's add that this is something that should have been done 25-30 years ago.

[wanderer2575]

Here's a link to the notice about the June 21st open house for the US-23 study:
https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2023/06/09/mdot-public-open-house-june-21-on-us-23-study-in-washtenaw-county

There's a link to a video showing a project overview.  I haven't watched it yet.

[afguy]

More information on the U.S. 23 project. The three alternatives being looked at are adding a third lane, a flex lane and HOV lanes. MDOT is also looking at improvements at the M-14/U.S. 23 interchange, M-17 interchange and the I-94 interchange.
https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/-/media/Project/Websites/MDOT/Projects-Studies/Studies/Traffic-and-Environmental-Assessment-Studies/US-23-Ann-Arbor/Local-Advisory-Group-Presentation-May-2023.pdf?rev=83706dba5a654aebabf517efb991e7a1&hash=476F666AE037A2463A29B115D639CEA4

[JREwing78]

More information on the U.S. 23 project. The three alternatives being looked at are adding a third lane, a flex lane and HOV lanes. MDOT is also looking at improvements at the M-14/U.S. 23 interchange, M-17 interchange and the I-94 interchange.
https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/-/media/Project/Websites/MDOT/Projects-Studies/Studies/Traffic-and-Environmental-Assessment-Studies/US-23-Ann-Arbor/Local-Advisory-Group-Presentation-May-2023.pdf?rev=83706dba5a654aebabf517efb991e7a1&hash=476F666AE037A2463A29B115D639CEA4

Their plans seem underwhelming. Notably missing is a 6 full-time + 2 flex lanes arrangement. I get that the Flex Lane equipment and monitoring costs $$$, but this would seem to be a location such a scheme would come in handy. A rebuild with 4 full-time + 2 flex lanes is clearly unacceptable.

[Flint1979]

They just rebuilt a part of US 23 between M-59 and i-96 and all it was was a rebuild it was not a widening or anything it's still four lanes total.

[wanderer2575]

They just rebuilt a part of US 23 between M-59 and i-96 and all it was was a rebuild it was not a widening or anything it's still four lanes total.

It was a resurfacing, not a rebuild.

[midwesternroadguy]

Could someone provide a list of updates depicted on the 2022 edition and 2023 edition of the Michigan official transportation map?

[Flint1979]

They just rebuilt a part of US 23 between M-59 and i-96 and all it was was a rebuild it was not a widening or anything it's still four lanes total.

It was a resurfacing, not a rebuild.

Well whatever it was it has new asphalt.

[JREwing78]

They just rebuilt a part of US 23 between M-59 and i-96 and all it was was a rebuild it was not a widening or anything it's still four lanes total.

It was a resurfacing, not a rebuild.

Well whatever it was it has new asphalt.

The distinction is important, because the difference between "new asphalt" and "ground-up rebuild" is enormous. This goes to the entire justification for the Flex Lanes.

A ground-up rebuild to Interstate-standard freeway is very expensive and takes a long time to build. If the bridges and underlying roadway still have life remaining, it's far cheaper to just widen a bit in the middle, put up a sturdy center median barrier, and lay down fresh asphalt.

Is it as good as a proper widening? Hell no. I don't think anyone here would argue otherwise. At some point the traffic loads are too large for a Flex Lane setup to help.

Does it free up cash to put towards other roadwork where they HAVE to rebuild from scratch? Yes.

[wanderer2575]

Could someone provide a list of updates depicted on the 2022 edition and 2023 edition of the Michigan official transportation map?

Can't say I've studied them side-by-side in detail, but the 2023 map shows the southern extension of M-30 (between M-20 and M-46) and the US-31 freeway connection with I-94.  A few errors regarding the latter:  The Napier Road connector is still shown in trunkline red, the former BL I-94 (Benton Harbor) divided highway and interchange (former exit 33) are still shown, and the new US-31 interchange shows no exit number (it's the new exit 33).  The new realigned BL I-94 carriageway is shown, but in non-trunkline gray.

[roadman65]

Was Saginaw Street/ Road in Flint ever part of US 10 before it got truncated to Saginaw?

[Flint1979]

Was Saginaw Street/ Road in Flint ever part of US 10 before it got truncated to Saginaw?

For a few years in the beginning before Dort Highway was built, it's always been called Saginaw Street though as it's part of the Saginaw Trail. Saginaw became M-10 and then Business US-10 after that. Outside of that it was Saginaw Road from the split with Dort Highway north of Mount Morris and south of the Dort Highway/Saginaw Road split in Grand Blanc. North of town US-10 and US-23 ran concurrently. US-23 was on Fenton Road south of town.

[Flint1979]

NB I-75 is backed up across the entire length of the Mackinac Bridge. I'm at Clyde's in St. Ignace and just crossed the bridge it took about a half hour to cross it.

[JREwing78]

The Bridge cams tell the tale. https://www.mackinacbridge.org/fares-traffic/bridge-cam/

SM-G991U

[wanderer2575]

From today's Detroit Free Press:

Construction for part of the state's long-awaited expansion of the U.S. Customs Plaza at the Blue Water Bridge could be underway in less than a year.

The massive project, spearheaded by the Michigan Department of Transportation, has been in the works for close to two decades, but has gained steam within the last couple of years after a wait on funding delayed its launch and as the agency has finalized its plans.

Now, with a stamp of approval for its design concept from the Federal Highway Administration, Carrie Warren, senior project manager for the plaza expansion, said they're expecting to wrap up the design and engineering process for the first phase before breaking ground early next year.

That initial work will include reconfiguring the intersection of Pine Grove and 10th avenues to accommodate a new off-ramp slightly further south of the bridge, as well as reconstruction of the eastbound Interstate 94 MDOT maintenance building, potential noise walls, and landscaping along Scott Avenue.

"It is a design-bid-build project for about $40 million.  It's currently in design.  We will be having a plan review, which is about 60% plans, a week from tomorrow with the city (and) Aug. 7 with the MDOT QA/QC (quality assurance and control) staff, so we're well on our way," Warren told Port Huron City Council members during a presentation on Monday.  "We expect to advertise it for a (bid) letting in March of next year and begin construction in April or May -- probably closer to May."

The second phase planning will continue next summer, with construction on that expected in early 2025.

The latest footprint planned is about 75% of the original project proposed in the late 2000s, meaning some of the property MDOT originally accumulated for the plaza expansion is not included.

Overall, MDOT is planning an expansion by building new facilities to replace the current while also reportedly aiming to spur safer and clearer traffic paths throughout the plaza by:

• Moving toll booths and outbound primary inspection for U.S. Customs and Border Protection slightly west
• Relocating Duty Free to the south side with a new entrance ramp that would loop around it

Currently, the entrance ramp and Duty Free are just north of the bridge. The existing layout requires trucks to exit the highway to access Duty Free, which officials have said is potential hazard for traffic on Pine Grove Avenue.

The relocation of Duty Free will be included in the second phase, as will new toll booths, the MDOT administration building, plaza storage, CBP outbound building and inspection booths, associated parking for bridge structures, a westbound I-94 entrance ramp, plaza entrance and exit ramps.

It's slated to cost $160 million with two years' worth of construction continuing into 2026.

Full article at https://www.freep.com/story/news/2023/07/12/heres-what-to-expect-for-mdots-massive-blue-water-bridge-plaza-expansion/70401303007/

I believe the original plan years ago would have relocated Pine Grove Avenue to the west, where the current connector road between M-25 and I-94/I-69 is.

[ChimpOnTheWheel]

I don't remember where I got this image from but here you go. It seems like the Bridges in Detroit will only be referred to by their names on the BGS.

So exit 46 will be the Gordie Howe, 47B the Ambassador, and 51C to the Tunnel

[The Ghostbuster]

Since the existing sign on Interstate 75 to the Ambassador Bridge has a Canadian Flag on it, it is likely the future sign to the Gordie Howe Internation Bridge will have one too (although a To ON 401 shield on the sign would suffice as well).

[Flint1979]

Since the existing sign on Interstate 75 to the Ambassador Bridge has a Canadian Flag on it, it is likely the future sign to the Gordie Howe Internation Bridge will have one too (although a To ON 401 shield on the sign would suffice as well).

That's all they'll have on it is the Canadian flag as well as No Re-entry to USA.

[triplemultiplex]

This mock-up makes it seem as though the Ambassador Bridge is free.  Which it is definitely not. 
Like one is trying to trick motorists to use the for-profit bridge by making them skip the exit for the Howe Bridge.

[wanderer2575]

This mock-up makes it seem as though the Ambassador Bridge is free.  Which it is definitely not. 
Like one is trying to trick motorists to use the for-profit bridge by making them skip the exit for the Howe Bridge.

Without knowing the source of this image, I'm not jumping to any conclusions.  This doesn't look like other renderings/animations I've seen from MDOT.  For starters, I've never before seen a "night view" rendering.  And the lettering is very different between the two signs.

[JREwing78]

Following current MDOT convention, neither sign would be marked as toll. They also would have a big yellow banner labeled "NO RE-ENTRY TO USA". MDOT is also generally consistent with types of signage, so if the Gordie got a Toll banner, so would the Ambassador. There's no Mouron family love at MDOT.

Current approach to the Blue Water: https://goo.gl/maps/QPwhFPhBZVzWaxuK6

Current approach to the Ambassador: https://goo.gl/maps/FkaCSy61jkXQm2R38