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Michigan Notes

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

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renegade

Quote from: HandsomeRob on December 26, 2013, 05:20:49 PM
So MDOT is going to buy up all of those houses in the median of I-96 then, I guess?

Made me look ... didn't know there were any homes in that right-of-way until now.
Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.


Alps

Quote from: JREwing78 on December 30, 2013, 11:50:42 PM
Motorists, businesses prepare for 10-month closure of crumbling I-96
http://www.freep.com/article/20131229/NEWS05/312290074/Motorists-businesses-prepare-for-10-month-closure-of-crumbling-I-96
What's the thinking - is this going to jam up the Lodge, Gd River Ave., I-94, all of the above?

JREwing78

Quote from: Steve on January 02, 2014, 10:54:39 PM
Quote from: JREwing78 on December 30, 2013, 11:50:42 PM
Motorists, businesses prepare for 10-month closure of crumbling I-96
http://www.freep.com/article/20131229/NEWS05/312290074/Motorists-businesses-prepare-for-10-month-closure-of-crumbling-I-96
What's the thinking - is this going to jam up the Lodge, Gd River Ave., I-94, all of the above?

There's precedent for this in recent Detroit freeway rebuilds - the Lodge (M-10) and the Southfield (M-39) freeways were completely shut down for their rebuilds. Commuters made route adjustments to compensate, and it turned out not to be a major problem. The advantage to doing this is that they can complete the repairs in one season instead of two.

Brandon

Quote from: JREwing78 on January 03, 2014, 11:43:38 PM
Quote from: Steve on January 02, 2014, 10:54:39 PM
Quote from: JREwing78 on December 30, 2013, 11:50:42 PM
Motorists, businesses prepare for 10-month closure of crumbling I-96
http://www.freep.com/article/20131229/NEWS05/312290074/Motorists-businesses-prepare-for-10-month-closure-of-crumbling-I-96
What's the thinking - is this going to jam up the Lodge, Gd River Ave., I-94, all of the above?

There's precedent for this in recent Detroit freeway rebuilds - the Lodge (M-10) and the Southfield (M-39) freeways were completely shut down for their rebuilds. Commuters made route adjustments to compensate, and it turned out not to be a major problem. The advantage to doing this is that they can complete the repairs in one season instead of two.

That, and Metro Detroit does have an excellent road system for getting around.  Unlike, say Chicago, Detroit has enough decent ways to get around that closing one for a season for massive repairs really doesn't cause a major issue.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

DanTheMan414

http://www.freep.com/article/20140108/NEWS02/301080131/Interstate-96-Wayne-County-closure-delayed

From the 1/9 Detroit Free Press, according to the City of Livonia it looks like I-96 from I-275 to US 24 will now not close until late March (vs the originally-announced late January).

tvketchum

#30
Quote from: Brandon on January 07, 2014, 04:55:52 PM
Quote from: JREwing78 on January 03, 2014, 11:43:38 PM

There's precedent for this in recent Detroit freeway rebuilds - the Lodge (M-10) and the Southfield (M-39) freeways were completely shut down for their rebuilds. Commuters made route adjustments to compensate, and it turned out not to be a major problem. The advantage to doing this is that they can complete the repairs in one season instead of two.

That, and Metro Detroit does have an excellent road system for getting around.  Unlike, say Chicago, Detroit has enough decent ways to get around that closing one for a season for massive repairs really doesn't cause a major issue.



Until they do  the Edsel Ford, if ever....

Fixed quotes - please try not to break them! ~S

JREwing78

A pothole on 11 Mile in Southfield had Mary Stack at Belle Tire on South Stephenson in Royal Oak Saturday, spending money on a new tire and rim, five months after getting new tires for her Acura. She's not happy, and she said she wants state legislators to find money to fix the roads.

"Get a backbone,"  Stack said of the state's politicians. "It's a disaster out there."


Potholes: Severe winter leads to jaw-jarring rides for metro Detroit motorists
http://www.freep.com/article/20140210/NEWS05/302100026/potholes-Detroit-winter

froggie

Some things I noticed on my trip through southern Michigan yesterday:

- A fair number of cops along I-94 (plus a few on I-69).  The I-69 cops ignored my going 75.

- A lot of traffic on I-94, especially between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek.  That said, traffic still flowed at/near the speed limit.

- We went right through Lansing on I-496.  I was surprised that the speed limit stayed 70 MPH throughout.  Was also somewhat surprised that the east-west segment of I-496 was only two lanes, though the lack of traffic suggests that there isn't a need for more.

- Noticed occasional overhead VMS that portrayed distance and travel time to the next major city or two.  These were spotted on both I-94 and I-69.

- The western 3-4 miles of I-94 in Van Buren County felt like riding on railroad ties.

- Noticed some temporary single-lane closure zones here and there, mostly for guardrail repair.  In each case, MDOT sets out SEVERAL signs ahead of the zone, and drops the speed limit from 70 to 60.

- According to signs and a portable VMS, lane closures at the I-69/I-94 interchange begin tomorrow (the 9th).  An EXTENSIVE reconstruction of the interchange is underway.

getemngo

Quote from: froggie on April 08, 2014, 07:18:15 AM
- We went right through Lansing on I-496.  I was surprised that the speed limit stayed 70 MPH throughout.  Was also somewhat surprised that the east-west segment of I-496 was only two lanes, though the lack of traffic suggests that there isn't a need for more.

It was raised to 70 around 2010, if I'm remembering correctly. This is becoming more common. US 131 is now 70 through all of downtown Grand Rapids.

Having the pseudo-C/D lanes at the east end of downtown helps with capacity, but I-496 will still jam during rush hour occasionally. There's probably enough room in the median to make it 6 lanes, and I'd like to see that happen in the next decade.

Quote- Noticed some temporary single-lane closure zones here and there, mostly for guardrail repair.  In each case, MDOT sets out SEVERAL signs ahead of the zone, and drops the speed limit from 70 to 60.

This is standard for Michigan construction - drop the speed by 10 at all times, and drop it down to 45 "when workers present." For a brief time, it was 45 or lower in all construction zones at all times, but they quickly figured out that nobody paid attention to a speed limit that ridiculous.
~ Sam from Michigan

agentsteel53

Quote from: getemngo on April 08, 2014, 02:48:42 PMFor a brief time, it was 45 or lower in all construction zones at all times, but they quickly figured out that nobody paid attention to a speed limit that ridiculous.

tell that to many, many places around the country.  especially when it's a "construction zone" in name only: some orange signs, and not a single bit of activity or human life.  downtown Tucson comes to mind: 45mph on I-10 for just a few traffic cones blocking off the median from the #1 lane.
live from sunny San Diego.

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pianocello

Quote from: agentsteel53 on April 08, 2014, 03:09:25 PM
Quote from: getemngo on April 08, 2014, 02:48:42 PMFor a brief time, it was 45 or lower in all construction zones at all times, but they quickly figured out that nobody paid attention to a speed limit that ridiculous.

tell that to many, many places around the country.  especially when it's a "construction zone" in name only: some orange signs, and not a single bit of activity or human life.  downtown Tucson comes to mind: 45mph on I-10 for just a few traffic cones blocking off the median from the #1 lane.

You think of Tucson, I think of Illinois: 55 mph for a mile before a few cones on the shoulder beneath an overpass. Either way, the way Michigan signs speed limits in construction zones is one of the best I've seen in terms of worker safety and driver satisfaction.
Davenport, IA -> Valparaiso, IN -> Ames, IA -> Orlando, FL -> Gainesville, FL -> Evansville, IN

thenetwork

Quote from: agentsteel53 on April 08, 2014, 03:09:25 PM
Quote from: getemngo on April 08, 2014, 02:48:42 PMFor a brief time, it was 45 or lower in all construction zones at all times, but they quickly figured out that nobody paid attention to a speed limit that ridiculous.

tell that to many, many places around the country.  especially when it's a "construction zone" in name only: some orange signs, and not a single bit of activity or human life.  downtown Tucson comes to mind: 45mph on I-10 for just a few traffic cones blocking off the median from the #1 lane.

At least in WVa, construction zones were somewhat part-time:  The actual speed zones had a flashing yellow light attached to the 45 MPH sign, which was only supposed to be on when they were actually working in the zone. If the light was not flashing, drivers could remain at the normal posted speeds through the zones.

Occasionally, you would have a zone in which the workers forgot to disconnect the battery to the light, but overall, it was the most fairest way to enforce speeds through construction zones.  I wish more states would have adapted to that method.

JREwing78

Quote from: froggie on April 08, 2014, 07:18:15 AM
Some things I noticed on my trip through southern Michigan yesterday:

- A fair number of cops along I-94 (plus a few on I-69).  The I-69 cops ignored my going 75.

They'll ignore you until you are doing 11mph or more over the limit, as a rule (don't ask how well I know this rule). In some areas of Michigan (metro Detroit), there's very little speed enforcement at all.

Quote from: froggie on April 08, 2014, 07:18:15 AM
- A lot of traffic on I-94, especially between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek.  That said, traffic still flowed at/near the speed limit.

MDOT is very reluctant to perform any widening work anywhere (mostly due to lack of funding). The only reason the 6-lane section in Kalamazoo got built was stimulus funding.

I-94 has very heavy truck traffic that's doing an average of 15mph slower than car traffic. You spend a LOT of time stuck behind a big rig doing 62 overtaking one doing 61.

Quote from: froggie on April 08, 2014, 07:18:15 AM
- We went right through Lansing on I-496.  I was surprised that the speed limit stayed 70 MPH throughout.  Was also somewhat surprised that the east-west segment of I-496 was only two lanes, though the lack of traffic suggests that there isn't a need for more.

MDOT as a rule posts 70mph limits on freeways unless they're seriously substandard (inner-city freeway segments in Grand Rapids and Detroit are the outliers). I-496 got the bump to 70 from 55 throughout in April 2007.

The entirety of I-496 could use 6-laning (both the N-S duplex with US-127 and the E-W section). It's about as unlikely to happen as 6-laning I-94 between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek.

Quote from: froggie on April 08, 2014, 07:18:15 AM
- Noticed occasional overhead VMS that portrayed distance and travel time to the next major city or two.  These were spotted on both I-94 and I-69.

- The western 3-4 miles of I-94 in Van Buren County felt like riding on railroad ties.

- Noticed some temporary single-lane closure zones here and there, mostly for guardrail repair.  In each case, MDOT sets out SEVERAL signs ahead of the zone, and drops the speed limit from 70 to 60.

They're actually FIXING the guardrails? Wow... I was cursing how many of the cable-median barriers had clearly sat unfixed most of the winter on my last trip through in late March.

froggie

QuoteI-94 has very heavy truck traffic that's doing an average of 15mph slower than car traffic. You spend a LOT of time stuck behind a big rig doing 62 overtaking one doing 61.

On that note, something I didn't mention earlier is the split car/truck speed limit, which IMO is a far bigger cause of traffic problems than the lack of lanes.

getemngo

I'll copy Froggie's idea here with a list of quick notes. This weekend I went from Sault Ste. Marie down to Novi, then to Ann Arbor, then back up north (with a couple minor detours to clinch things). Unfortunately I didn't go anywhere east of I-275, so there's not much I know about the I-96 closure.

  • The closed rest area on SB US 127 at Higgins Lake still has all highway signage present with CLOSED over it. There are gates, but they'd be very easy to drive around on the left. Building is completely intact, with most windows covered up from the inside.
  • I stopped at the rest area on SB I-75 at Alger very late at night. The building was lit entirely with LEDs. The lights outside the entrance and in the lobby were somewhat dim, then turned on brighter as I approached them! Looks like the Fenton rest area on NB US 23 has the same lights.
  • On EB I-96 approaching metro Detroit, a VMS gave travel times to downtown via I-696/M-10 and via I-275/I-94. On 8 Mile at its interchange with I-96/I-275, references to East I-96 were covered up. Approaching the closed portion of I-96 on EB I-96/SB I-275, there are a couple very permanent looking BGS's (greenout?) changing the East I-96 exit to the Newburgh Rd exit. I-275 was no busier than usual.
  • M-14 has a short 65 mph section west of its western interchange with US 23. It's pretty narrow. Also, I'd never driven M-14 eastbound before. Exit 4, Barton Drive, is so tight that the onramp ends with a stop sign. :-o And the western interchange with US 23 is not numbered on M-14, even though all its other exits are, including the eastern interchange with US 23 when you're heading westbound.
  • We've already talked in this thread about the small neighborhood in the median of I-96 that will have to be destroyed to make way for the rebuilt I-96/US 23 interchange. Well, I drove partway into it, and it's already been vacated. About half the houses have been demolished, starting at the southern end. A couple of the remaining ones were sitting with the doors wide open. I was pretty tempted to explore them.
  • On my drive back, NB I-75 was completely closed in Saginaw for construction. I don't think it was on my drive down. All traffic was forced onto I-675. Southbound lanes were open.
  • I-675's speed limit is 70 the whole way. That means Michigan has no urban freeways left with a speed limit of 55 outside of metro Detroit... unless I-194 does at its northern end?
~ Sam from Michigan

JREwing78


JREwing78


Brandon

Quote from: JREwing78 on April 09, 2014, 11:05:32 PM
Quote from: froggie on April 08, 2014, 07:18:15 AM
Some things I noticed on my trip through southern Michigan yesterday:

- A fair number of cops along I-94 (plus a few on I-69).  The I-69 cops ignored my going 75.

They'll ignore you until you are doing 11mph or more over the limit, as a rule (don't ask how well I know this rule). In some areas of Michigan (metro Detroit), there's very little speed enforcement at all.

There is, but you have to be doing triple digits to get noticed by the blue geese on a metro Detroit freeway.  There's too many going 80-90 for them to even think about chasing.

Now, SW Michigan on the other hand can be a bit more heavy-handed, especially on those with Illinois plates from Chicago.  I think the speed tips them off, and then they find some other dumbass FIB move they pull.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

JREwing78


JREwing78

MDOT has a page dedicated to debunking myths about road maintenance and construction.

Bottom line: Pay up, you cheapskates!

MDOT Transportation Reality Check
http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9620_67533---,00.html

Brandon

Quote from: JREwing78 on May 02, 2014, 01:42:34 AM
Morouns tell judge it's 'end of the race' if she won't block rival [to the Ambassador] bridge
http://www.freep.com/article/20140501/NEWS06/305010036/Morouns-tell-judge-it-s-end-of-the-race-if-she-won-t-block-rival-bridge

Cry me a fucking river.  Matty "Moron" Moroun can fuck off.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

renegade

Quote from: Brandon on May 05, 2014, 10:03:05 AM
Quote from: JREwing78 on May 02, 2014, 01:42:34 AM
Morouns tell judge it's 'end of the race' if she won't block rival [to the Ambassador] bridge
http://www.freep.com/article/20140501/NEWS06/305010036/Morouns-tell-judge-it-s-end-of-the-race-if-she-won-t-block-rival-bridge

Cry me a fucking river.  Matty "Moron" Moroun can fuck off.

I've been saying that for years.
Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.

thenetwork

Quote from: renegade on May 05, 2014, 07:25:30 PM
Quote from: Brandon on May 05, 2014, 10:03:05 AM
Quote from: JREwing78 on May 02, 2014, 01:42:34 AM
Morouns tell judge it's 'end of the race' if she won't block rival [to the Ambassador] bridge
http://www.freep.com/article/20140501/NEWS06/305010036/Morouns-tell-judge-it-s-end-of-the-race-if-she-won-t-block-rival-bridge

Cry me a fucking river.  Matty "Moron" Moroun can fuck off.

I've been saying that for years.

And Matty has been saying that to Detroit for Decades!

getemngo

MDOT: Four rest stops vandalized
http://woodtv.com/2014/05/05/mdot-four-rest-stops-vandalized/

QuoteMARSHALL, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan State Police is trying to find out who caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage to the men's restrooms at three rest areas and one welcome center across the state.

Someone damaged toilets, urinals and sinks with what appears to be hammer, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

And of course, MDOT will have to use money that was originally going toward fixing potholes to repair these rest areas.
~ Sam from Michigan

Brandon

Quote from: getemngo on May 06, 2014, 07:40:54 PM
MDOT: Four rest stops vandalized
http://woodtv.com/2014/05/05/mdot-four-rest-stops-vandalized/

QuoteMARSHALL, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan State Police is trying to find out who caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage to the men's restrooms at three rest areas and one welcome center across the state.

Someone damaged toilets, urinals and sinks with what appears to be hammer, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

And of course, MDOT will have to use money that was originally going toward fixing potholes to repair these rest areas.

Interestingly, they're only the men's restrooms, and all of the rest areas line up neatly as if someone went from Ohio toward Chicago along US-23 and I-94 doing this.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg



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