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Michigan Notes

Started by MDOTFanFB, October 26, 2012, 08:06:31 PM

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texaskdog

Quote from: JREwing78 on October 14, 2020, 04:46:30 PM
US-127 in Mason is emerging as a common location for bridge strikes. This time, it was the Columbia Rd overpass.

State highway officials said a trash container being hauled on a truck hit the bridge before another truck hit the trailer carrying the trash container, causing it to strike another part of the bridge.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2020/10/14/mdot-northbound-u-s-127-closed-near-mason-after-bridge-damaged/3651309001/

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.EmLf3MvhsXYTVrWAIpd6MAHaEa%26pid%3DApi&f=1


JREwing78

Quote from: Terry Shea on March 12, 2021, 02:39:04 AM
Does this mean that MDOT is not going to go ahead with plans to convert this to a freeway?

MDOT is far, far away from anything that smells like a highway expansion/upgrade outside of metro Detroit, with a few exceptions where traffic levels or roadway conditions are forcing their hand (US-23 flex lane, I-94 in Kalamazoo & Jackson, US-31/I-94 in Benton Harbor, etc). They are pretty well focused on rebuilding what's crumbling and getting the existing stuff in good condition.

It looked like at one point MDOT was trying to finish the freeway buildout to Ithaca after completing the St. Johns bypass in the late '90s, and the interchange at M-57 in the early 00's was a big step towards it, removing a horribly accident-prone stoplight. 

But any funding to take it further has been minimal - thus the series of "baby steps" to remove cross traffic and limit access. When MDOT gets the opportunity to acquire adjacent property and has the funds, they do it. But otherwise it's keeping the status quo as long as it's economically feasible to do so.

US-127 is a busy road, but not THAT busy - AADT counts of ~20,000 vpd are not egregious and well within the capacity limits of a 4-lane controlled-access highway with no stoplights (not counting the seldom-used RR tracks just north of M-57). It's comparable to US-31 in northern Indiana (which still does have stoplights).

Basically, as long as the roadway will still accept concrete joint patching and asphalt overlays without completely disintegrating after the 1st winter's freeze/thaw cycle, MDOT will keep maintaining the existing surface and do small things to address safety. Unlike other stretches of Michigan freeway (I-94, I-69, I-75), US-127 doesn't have heavy truck traffic - which helps that effort.

Once MDOT is forced to perform a complete rebuild of either the northbound or southbound roadways, that's when you'll see the big push to convert it to freeway. But if they can get another 20 years out of the existing roadway and put that funding for more pressing needs, they'll do it.

The Ghostbuster

I would love for US 127 to be completely freeway between Lansing and Interstate 75 near Grayling. Of course, one's fantasies often hit a brick wall when something called "reality" rears its ugly head. That's why I'm grateful that the Forum has a Fictional Highways board, and I am far from the only one grateful for that.

Flint1979

Making US-127 into a freeway between St. Johns and Ithaca is pretty low priority. US-127 falls mostly within the Bay and University regions of MDOT and they have higher priority corridors to take care of before making this stretch of US-127 into a freeway. The bottom line is that US-127 flows fine as is and doesn't really need any upgrades. It will never be an Interstate so that can be tossed aside as well.

Ryctor2018

Quote from: rawmustard on March 12, 2021, 01:53:18 PM
Quote from: Ryctor2018 on March 12, 2021, 01:20:11 PM
Doesn't look like it, not right now. Looks more like they are trying to upgrade the road to "controlled access", not limited access. Close off the cross roads, consolidate driveways, Michigan Lefts and RIRO intersections seem to be what they are trying to due. Maybe in a decade when more money can be had the full freeway upgrade may happen.

"Controlled access" is the term for making a road a full-fledged freeway, whereas "limited access" eliminates most driveways but still allows for access with at-grade intersections. On my last trip up that way, I noticed more properties are being abandoned (likely sold to MDOT), but there are still a few that still need to be sold. I've also not yet seen just how the routing will be at Uncle John's, which is the last major property along the route.

Not my term. MDOT described what they are working on between St. John's and Ithaca as "controlled access". A high-speed divided highway with some interchanges, but still driveway access and cross roads here and there. I would need to find the article. This was a news item from about ten years ago in the Lansing paper. Or maybe Gratiot county.
2DI's traveled: 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 24, 30, 35, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 49, 55, 57, 59, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 85, 87, 88, 90, 93, 94, 95, 96

SkyPesos

I've been looking at Michigan freeways a bit on GSV recently, and noticed some sort of inconsistency in exit tab size. On the interchange with US 131 from I-196, the WB direction have tabbed exit numbers, while the EB direction have full length exit numbers. Sometimes, both exit tab styles are used at the same interchange, like this example between I-75 NB and Baldwin Rd. How does MDOT decide when to use a full length exit tab vs a side tab?

hotdogPi

Why was M-120 between Indiana and Ohio decommissioned? It leaves an obvious gap in a 3-state route.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

renegade

Quote from: 1 on March 30, 2021, 06:32:39 AM
Why was M-120 between Indiana and Ohio decommissioned? It leaves an obvious gap in a 3-state route.
Transferred to local control in 1961.
Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.

wanderer2575

Special meeting May 18 to discuss Annual Mackinac Bridge Walk

QuoteThe Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) will meet in an online special session at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 18, to discuss the Annual Bridge Walk currently scheduled for Labor Day. 

The meeting will be conducted on the Microsoft Teams platform, and will be available for public viewing through Livestream at https://livestream.com/mdot/mbameeting05182021 or YouTube.  This meeting will be conducted in a virtual format under provisions of Mackinac County's resolution and extension of a Local State of Emergency. 

"Last year the Mackinac Bridge Authority made the very difficult decision to cancel the Annual Bridge Walk due to COVID-19," said Authority Board Chairman Patrick "Shorty" Gleason.  "While we all hope this year's walk can proceed as usual, we need to consider the remaining uncertainty about what effect the pandemic could have on our event that is now just a few months away." 

Comments can be submitted online prior to and during the meeting; comments received before 3:00 p.m. Monday will be provided to the board prior to the meeting.

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/Special_meeting_May_18_to_discuss_Annual_Bridge_Walk_725305_7.pdf

Flint1979

MDOT has I-75 from Square Lake to 8 Mile closed and they have Woodward as the detour.

Flint1979

Quote from: renegade on March 30, 2021, 05:01:01 PM
Quote from: 1 on March 30, 2021, 06:32:39 AM
Why was M-120 between Indiana and Ohio decommissioned? It leaves an obvious gap in a 3-state route.
Transferred to local control in 1961.
That doesn't explain why it was removed.

GaryV

Quote from: Flint1979 on July 10, 2021, 11:26:12 PM
MDOT has I-75 from Square Lake to 8 Mile closed and they have Woodward as the detour.

Yep, to take down the 11 Mile Rd bridge.  They had to close multiple miles of freeway just so they could have a detour route that still used highways.

At the same time, I-275 is down to 1 lane and the Southfield Freeway is closed in Dearborn.  Not a good time to try to get from Ohio to the northern part of metro Detroit.

And, the construction on 12 Mile Rd (wb) near I-75 was not completed, so both 11 Mile and 12 Mile are out of commission to get from Madison Heights to Royal Oak.

Flint1979

Quote from: GaryV on July 11, 2021, 06:54:02 AM
Quote from: Flint1979 on July 10, 2021, 11:26:12 PM
MDOT has I-75 from Square Lake to 8 Mile closed and they have Woodward as the detour.

Yep, to take down the 11 Mile Rd bridge.  They had to close multiple miles of freeway just so they could have a detour route that still used highways.

At the same time, I-275 is down to 1 lane and the Southfield Freeway is closed in Dearborn.  Not a good time to try to get from Ohio to the northern part of metro Detroit.

And, the construction on 12 Mile Rd (wb) near I-75 was not completed, so both 11 Mile and 12 Mile are out of commission to get from Madison Heights to Royal Oak.
True as there isn't another state highway that could be used south of there until you are past 11 Mile so closing it up to Square Lake and having Woodward as the detour was the best case. Square Lake in that area is part of Business I-75 and 8 Mile is M-102 and Woodward of course is M-1 so they managed to use all state highways as a detour.

You're right on that. Getting from Ohio to the northern suburbs would be difficult with all the closures. I'm not sure if the regular route consists of just using I-75 but I put in a route from Toledo to Rochester Hills and it tells me to take I-75 to I-275 to I-696 to Telegraph to Square Lake back to I-75. As of right now Sunday morning at 9:45 it looks like I-275 is clear. I-75 will be back open at 5:00 tomorrow morning btw.

Also it looks like the service drives north of I-696 are still open with just the freeway being closed but I'm not sure on that I'm going by what it looks like on the cam at 696 and 75.

Flint1979

In Saginaw County southbound I-675 is closed from Tittabawassee at exit 6 to Davenport and Michigan at exit 3..

With the ongoing construction on I-75 between mile markers 148 and 150 this has the makings of being a mess. It's been going on for a couple of weeks and hopefully the I-675 construction is over with soon.

I don't know if I'd advise it but going southbound if you can get off at exit 160 which is M-84 and go southbound to W. Genesee make a left and take Genesee until after it turns into Dixie Highway back to I-75 at the Bridgeport exit you would miss the entirety of the construction zone and the I-675 closure. I would be against advising it because W. Genesee is a city street before becoming E. Genesee and Saginaw's historical main drag.

Terry Shea

Quote from: Flint1979 on July 12, 2021, 04:06:36 PM
In Saginaw County southbound I-675 is closed from Tittabawassee at exit 6 to Davenport and Michigan at exit 3..

With the ongoing construction on I-75 between mile markers 148 and 150 this has the makings of being a mess. It's been going on for a couple of weeks and hopefully the I-675 construction is over with soon.

I don't know if I'd advise it but going southbound if you can get off at exit 160 which is M-84 and go southbound to W. Genesee make a left and take Genesee until after it turns into Dixie Highway back to I-75 at the Bridgeport exit you would miss the entirety of the construction zone and the I-675 closure. I would be against advising it because W. Genesee is a city street before becoming E. Genesee and Saginaw's historical main drag.
I drive from Saginaw to Flint a few times a week.  Do you know what happened to the pavement on I-75 SB south of I-475 (exit 125)?  It felt like I was going over speed bumps a few nights ago and I don't recall it being like that before.  It seemed to affect all the lanes.

Flint1979

Quote from: Terry Shea on July 12, 2021, 09:30:51 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on July 12, 2021, 04:06:36 PM
In Saginaw County southbound I-675 is closed from Tittabawassee at exit 6 to Davenport and Michigan at exit 3..

With the ongoing construction on I-75 between mile markers 148 and 150 this has the makings of being a mess. It's been going on for a couple of weeks and hopefully the I-675 construction is over with soon.

I don't know if I'd advise it but going southbound if you can get off at exit 160 which is M-84 and go southbound to W. Genesee make a left and take Genesee until after it turns into Dixie Highway back to I-75 at the Bridgeport exit you would miss the entirety of the construction zone and the I-675 closure. I would be against advising it because W. Genesee is a city street before becoming E. Genesee and Saginaw's historical main drag.
I drive from Saginaw to Flint a few times a week.  Do you know what happened to the pavement on I-75 SB south of I-475 (exit 125)?  It felt like I was going over speed bumps a few nights ago and I don't recall it being like that before.  It seemed to affect all the lanes.
That's where it goes from four lanes down to three it's been in pretty bad shape for quite a few years now but I have noticed that it's gotten worse. I've been wondering when it'll be on MDOT's radar to repave and possibly widen it in conjunction with building a new overpass at I-69.

I know that the pavement north of I-475 was repaved last in 2002 and seems to still be in good shape. That was when the project to widen it between Saginaw and Flint started. I know the pavement south of I-475 is older than the pavement north of it though and speaking of I-475 thankfully they repaved that recently on the north end.

catch22

I-75 remains closed in both directions this morning near Exit 69 in Troy after a tanker truck fire, pending a damage assessment.  The truck driver escaped with only minor injuries.

Link to Troy PD's Twitter feed showing a dashcam video of the accident:

https://twitter.com/TroyMI_Police/status/1414708029514293252



wanderer2575

Quote from: catch22 on July 13, 2021, 07:54:35 AM
I-75 remains closed in both directions this morning near Exit 69 in Troy after a tanker truck fire, pending a damage assessment.  The truck driver escaped with only minor injuries.

Brand new bridge...  brand new roadway...  both potentially trashed.

Flint1979

Quote from: wanderer2575 on July 13, 2021, 10:04:48 AM
Quote from: catch22 on July 13, 2021, 07:54:35 AM
I-75 remains closed in both directions this morning near Exit 69 in Troy after a tanker truck fire, pending a damage assessment.  The truck driver escaped with only minor injuries.

Brand new bridge...  brand new roadway...  both potentially trashed.
All because of a truck driver that was driving too fast around a curve, I can tell he was driving too fast.

wanderer2575

#619
Quote from: Flint1979 on July 13, 2021, 11:36:01 AM
Quote from: wanderer2575 on July 13, 2021, 10:04:48 AM
Quote from: catch22 on July 13, 2021, 07:54:35 AM
I-75 remains closed in both directions this morning near Exit 69 in Troy after a tanker truck fire, pending a damage assessment.  The truck driver escaped with only minor injuries.

Brand new bridge...  brand new roadway...  both potentially trashed.
All because of a truck driver that was driving too fast around a curve, I can tell he was driving too fast.

What's interesting is that the I-75 rebuild between M-102 and the Square Lake Road interchange is being done in concrete but the new freeway surface around the Big Beaver Road (exit 69) curve is asphalt.  I wonder if it's that high-friction stuff that's supposed to provide extra traction to help avoid incidents like this.  (Understanding it could do only so much with a speeding fully-loaded truck.)

renegade

92 km/h (56 MPH) is far below speeding range.  The driver is fortunate to have escaped with only minor injuries.  Wonder what it was that distracted him?
Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.

GaryV

^ That's what it looked like to me.  Why did he drift left?  (If Crash_It was driving that car he cut off, we'd have a wonderful video!)

skluth

Quote from: GaryV on July 13, 2021, 02:53:12 PM
^ That's what it looked like to me.  Why did he drift left?  (If Crash_It was driving that car he cut off, we'd have a wonderful video!)

Probably on the phone. I hope the investigation subpoenas his phone logs from his provider. 

Flint1979

I-94 closed for flooding. I-75 says hold my beer.

Flint1979

A driver behind the semi said that the semi hit the median, then the driver jumped out and started running, the semi and it flipped over the median and exploded. The driver did get out ok but there was over 15,000 gallons of fuel in that semi. I didn't see in the video where the driver jumped out.



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