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Michigan Notes

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

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skluth

Quote from: paulthemapguy on September 21, 2021, 11:02:33 AM
I was in Ontonagon last year (see my US45 endpoint photos on US Ends), and yeah, it looked like a good amount of establishments were abandoned.  Is this another case of former mining towns having lots of people skip town when ores become depleted?  Of all the places where diaspora was so prominent that became known as "ghost towns," most of them were mining towns.  Is this the same sort of phenomenon? I remember Iron Mountain looking like a lot of things were abandoned, too.

Iron Mountain's big economic hit was over 50 years ago when Ford closed their plant in Kingsford. Iron mining stopped during the Depression. There is still some industry in the region including a paper mill but it's more a tourist economy now.


SkyPesos

Looking at M-59 east of Utica and its abnormally wide median, are there long-term plans to turn it into a freeway all the way east to I-94? The median alone could fit a 6 lane freeway, and taking away two of the four lanes from each side of the "frontage road", you can get a 8-10 lane freeway just from its current ROW.

GaryV


Flint1979

Quote from: SkyPesos on September 27, 2021, 07:25:53 PM
Looking at M-59 east of Utica and its abnormally wide median, are there long-term plans to turn it into a freeway all the way east to I-94? The median alone could fit a 6 lane freeway, and taking away two of the four lanes from each side of the "frontage road", you can get a 8-10 lane freeway just from its current ROW.
M-59 was proposed as a freeway between Pontiac and I-94 but it would have taken a different route than the current M-59 corridor. East of Utica it was proposed to run roughly along 21 Mile Road and north of there (Hall Road which is M-59 is 20 Mile). A lot of Michigan highways with Michigan left turns are wide like that.

renegade

Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.

Terry Shea

Quote from: SkyPesos on September 27, 2021, 07:25:53 PM
Looking at M-59 east of Utica and its abnormally wide median, are there long-term plans to turn it into a freeway all the way east to I-94? The median alone could fit a 6 lane freeway, and taking away two of the four lanes from each side of the "frontage road", you can get a 8-10 lane freeway just from its current ROW.
I remember when they were building the M-59 trench in Utica, thinking it would be a freeway at least to M-53 and possibly to I-94.  I can't believe they ended the freeway where they did, short of M-53.  Then again, MDOT rarely, if ever, does anything right!


Flint1979

Quote from: Terry Shea on September 27, 2021, 10:29:30 PM
Quote from: SkyPesos on September 27, 2021, 07:25:53 PM
Looking at M-59 east of Utica and its abnormally wide median, are there long-term plans to turn it into a freeway all the way east to I-94? The median alone could fit a 6 lane freeway, and taking away two of the four lanes from each side of the "frontage road", you can get a 8-10 lane freeway just from its current ROW.
I remember when they were building the M-59 trench in Utica, thinking it would be a freeway at least to M-53 and possibly to I-94.  I can't believe they ended the freeway where they did, short of M-53.  Then again, MDOT rarely, if ever, does anything right!
It's all about things falling into their budget. The traffic light at M-59 and Van Dyke really puts M-59 traffic at a standstill.

wanderer2575

The Mackinac Bridge Authority will be reinstating its Driver Assistance program on November 1st.  The program was suspended in March 2020 due to COVID-19.  It provides an Authority staffer to drive your car across the bridge, for those who have fears of driving across themselves or who want to concentrate on the scenery instead.

There will now be a $10 fee, increasing to $15 in 2025 (used to be free).  There will also be increased fees for transporting pedestrians, bicycles, and snowmobiles (none of which are usually allowed to cross the bridge on their own).

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MBA_assistance_programs_reinstated_Oct_2021__REV_10-14-21_clean_738456_7.pdf

Flint1979

You could pretty much take a nap while waiting for the temporary traffic light on M-52 in Saginaw County.

SkyPesos

Quote from: skluth on October 23, 2021, 10:09:09 PM
..idiot who was driving their Jeep down El Cielo in Palm Springs going about 32-33 in a 45 mph zone in front of me this morning.
I was expecting 12-13 over the speed limit from Michigan drivers, not 12-13 under.

Also, what's the chance that that was a rental car? From all the times my family rented cars, they're almost all a different state plate than the state we rented the car in.

Flint1979

The temporary traffic light in Saginaw County on M-52 between Lakefield Road and Stello Road has been removed and traffic is running in both directions. The temporary traffic light caused delays in both directions all summer.

Ryctor2018

This link: https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151--571899--,00.html has the overview for Michigan's 5 Year Transportation Program. Details on the plan are at this link: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/Five-Year_Transportation_Program_713823_7.pdf

Some highlights:
Rebuilding I-69 from Fenton to M-54 (Dort Highway)
Fixing I-196 in W. Michigan
Rebuild I-96 in Oakland County to include "Flex lanes", similar to US-23 in Washtenaw & Oakland Counties
Work on M-37 in the Traverse City area
Continued work on the I-94/US-31/Bus. I-94 interchange and adjacent roads near Benton Harbor
Work on US-41 in Houghton
Reconstruct I-94 in Jackson County

I just glanced over the document so I don't know if this includes the just passed Infrastructure Plan in Congress
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JREwing78

Quote from: Ryctor2018 on November 07, 2021, 05:18:33 PM
I just glanced over the document so I don't know if this includes the just passed Infrastructure Plan in Congress

Nope. Much of this is being expedited due to bonds that were sold prior to the Infrastructure Plan, and a lot of the projects in it are already in progress. When they release the 2022-2027 plan, you may well see a lot of these projects get pushed forward on the schedule and/or completed in a shorter time frame. It's also possible that, depending on the funding rollout, you may not see substantial changes until the 2023-2028 plan.

Ryctor2018

Quote from: JREwing78 on November 07, 2021, 05:32:06 PM
Quote from: Ryctor2018 on November 07, 2021, 05:18:33 PM
I just glanced over the document so I don't know if this includes the just passed Infrastructure Plan in Congress

Nope. Much of this is being expedited due to bonds that were sold prior to the Infrastructure Plan, and a lot of the projects in it are already in progress. When they release the 2022-2027 plan, you may well see a lot of these projects get pushed forward on the schedule and/or completed in a shorter time frame. It's also possible that, depending on the funding rollout, you may not see substantial changes until the 2023-2028 plan.

Looking thru the plans; you're right. Much of the work in the plans are already underway or plotted out in the near future. One thing that made me chuckle: The Belle Isle Bridge over the Detroit River is planned for repair next year. It is listed as OLD 700! I wonder is M-700 was ever signed in the field!
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wanderer2575

^^  I've commented on this topic twice and that's it.  I've said my piece.  Everyone can't have the last word.

Moving along...

MDOT will be hosting a virtual public meeting on November 18th to discuss the planned 2024 replacement of the Church Street park deck over I-696 in Oak Park.  This is the easternmost of the three park decks built when this section of I-696 was constructed in the mid-1980s.  It's been leaking water for years, resulting in large icicles and ice patches on the freeway surface.  A project a few years ago that tore up the park to waterproof the deck structure resulted in no improvement.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2021/11/08/mdot-virtual-meeting-696-construction/6316624001/

(Interestingly, the recently-released 2022-2026 Five Year Plan shows this project in 2023.)

Ryctor2018

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2021/11/08/mdot-virtual-meeting-696-construction/6316624001/

I have not driven this route since I was in Michigan before the pandemic. For those in the know; is this end of life design issues, design flaws, problems with the park above or other. I know the Reuther Freeway had these plazas built as a deal of its construction over 30 years ago, but the article only list the symptoms not the cause of the leaks on I-696.
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Terry Shea

Quote from: Ryctor2018 on November 12, 2021, 06:34:27 PM
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2021/11/08/mdot-virtual-meeting-696-construction/6316624001/

I have not driven this route since I was in Michigan before the pandemic. For those in the know; is this end of life design issues, design flaws, problems with the park above or other. I know the Reuther Freeway had these plazas built as a deal of its construction over 30 years ago, but the article only list the symptoms not the cause of the leaks on I-696.
I don't know, but I'm sure if we added E-Z Pass it would solve this issue. :)

renegade

Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.

Rothman

Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Flint1979

Michigan State Police Troopers saw a green Toyota Tundra heading north on the Mackinac Bridge at a high speed before midnight on Wednesday and pulled the car over near the toll booths. The car was stolen from a used car dealership in San Saba, Texas. He fought with the troopers while they arrested him and he has been lodged in the Mackinac County Jail for possessing a stolen vehicle, resisting and obstructing police officers, operating under the influence of drugs and not having a valid driver license.


renegade

Quote from: Flint1979 on November 20, 2021, 10:31:51 AM
Michigan State Police Troopers saw a green Toyota Tundra heading north on the Mackinac Bridge at a high speed before midnight on Wednesday and pulled the car over near the toll booths. The car was stolen from a used car dealership in San Saba, Texas. He fought with the troopers while they arrested him and he has been lodged in the Mackinac County Jail for possessing a stolen vehicle, resisting and obstructing police officers, operating under the influence of drugs and not having a valid driver license.
... and he never even got to use his EZPass!   :pan:
Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.

Flint1979

Quote from: renegade on November 20, 2021, 11:31:40 AM
Quote from: Flint1979 on November 20, 2021, 10:31:51 AM
Michigan State Police Troopers saw a green Toyota Tundra heading north on the Mackinac Bridge at a high speed before midnight on Wednesday and pulled the car over near the toll booths. The car was stolen from a used car dealership in San Saba, Texas. He fought with the troopers while they arrested him and he has been lodged in the Mackinac County Jail for possessing a stolen vehicle, resisting and obstructing police officers, operating under the influence of drugs and not having a valid driver license.
... and he never even got to use his EZPass!   :pan:
LMAO

Hot Rod Hootenanny

I thought you two were going to say the driver wouldn't of been stopped if EZ Pass was installed.
Please, don't sue Alex & Andy over what I wrote above

Flint1979

#724
It looks like MDOT has reopened all lanes of I-75 in the construction zone between mile markers 148 and 150. After almost two decades I-75 is finally 8 Lanes between I-475's northern terminus in Flint and I-675's southern terminus in Saginaw.

This picture was just taken the other day.



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