Michigan Notes

[JREwing78]

Trolling MDOT's Right-of-Way documents in Clinton County, it's clear MDOT has been acquiring ROW on the west side of the existing US-127 north of St. Johns. It comes in fits and spurts, but there have been consistent parcel purchases since 1998 in pursuit of a US-127 freeway conversion. MDOT has more acquisitions to make before dirt can start flying, but it's hardly the moves one would expect of a "dead" project.

Clinton Co:
https://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/BITMIX/getMapDocument.htm?docGuid=b5ba1148-4289-4374-a06d-196d8e9d5461&fileName=Clinton.pdf&rowMapProjNum=1315934&rowMapLegendFileName=ROW+Map+Legend.pdf&realEstatePhoneNumber=517-599-6740

Gratiot Co:
https://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/BITMIX/getMapDocument.htm?docGuid=02f7fdfb-0eac-41af-aa78-cfcaffbd1735&fileName=Gratiot.pdf&rowMapProjNum=1315934&rowMapLegendFileName=ROW+Map+Legend.pdf&realEstatePhoneNumber=517-599-6740


I also noticed that the section of M-99 at Holt Rd. near Dimondale has survey lines drawn out leading due north of the Holt Rd intersection, following the section line towards I-96. I doubt there were serious plans for a freeway-to-freeway interchange for M-99 roughly where Williams Rd meets I-96, but it's tempting to speculate what MDOT planners were aiming for.

https://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/BITMIX/getMapDocument.htm?docGuid=bf417942-75fe-422b-b880-30f2590dbba4&fileName=sheet057.pdf&rowMapProjNum=1315934&rowMapLegendFileName=ROW+Map+Legend.pdf&realEstatePhoneNumber=517-599-6740

[afguy]

I wonder what this new approach will look like?

Whitmer: Entirely new approach needed to 'fix the damn roads'

Michigan's road funding primarily comes from fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees, plus $600 million a year from the state's general fund.
In 2020, Whitmer went around the Legislature to get the State Transportation Commission to OK $3.5-billion in bonds to help her step up road repairs. She's also used general funds and Michigan's share of President Joe Biden's $1.2-trillion infrastructure bill to ramp up projects on Michigan roads long known for their poor quality.

But now, a whole new approach is needed, she said.

"We are undergoing a historic transformation from ICE (internal combustion engines) to EVs (electric vehicles) and being able to build out and maintain infrastructure that can support this technology is something that every state in the country is going to grapple with," Whitmer said.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/11/17/whitmer-entirely-new-approach-needed-to-fix-the-damn-roads/69653322007/

[JoePCool14]

I wonder what this new approach will look like?

Whitmer: Entirely new approach needed to 'fix the damn roads'

Michigan's road funding primarily comes from fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees, plus $600 million a year from the state's general fund.
In 2020, Whitmer went around the Legislature to get the State Transportation Commission to OK $3.5-billion in bonds to help her step up road repairs. She's also used general funds and Michigan's share of President Joe Biden's $1.2-trillion infrastructure bill to ramp up projects on Michigan roads long known for their poor quality.

But now, a whole new approach is needed, she said.

"We are undergoing a historic transformation from ICE (internal combustion engines) to EVs (electric vehicles) and being able to build out and maintain infrastructure that can support this technology is something that every state in the country is going to grapple with," Whitmer said.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/11/17/whitmer-entirely-new-approach-needed-to-fix-the-damn-roads/69653322007/

Great question. Regardless of whether we're driving cars with ICEs or batteries, the roads should be smooth.

[Flint1979]

Indiana and Ohio are looking like better places to live.

[afguy]

Update on "Phase 2" of the flex lane project on U.S. 23 that will go from 9 Mile to I-96. I honestly wish MDOT would just do a proper widening and add a full third lane.
Officials set to preview 3-year, $146-million expansion of U.S. 23 Flex Route to I-96

Officials plan to extend the Flex Route north from its current end point at M-36 (9 Mile Road) to the I-96 interchange just outside Brighton.

Doing so won't be a quick task, with road work planned for the next three construction seasons, 2023 through 2025, according to MDOT. The project is slated to proceed north to south with next year's work focusing on the stretch of highway between Spencer Road to a point north of the Huron River.

Officials plan to add an auxiliary lane along southbound U.S. 23 between the eastbound I-96 on-ramp and the Lee Road off-ramp, allowing vehicles entering U.S. 23 and exiting to Lee Road to stay in the same lane while providing additional time for other cars to get in the right lane.

MDOT also plans to complete repair work on the Grand River Avenue bridges and Lee Road bridge, and U.S. 23 will be lowered under Lee Road to improve vertical clearance. The ramps at the exit will also be repaved.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2022/11/officials-set-to-preview-3-year-146-million-expansion-of-us-23-flex-route-to-i-96.html

[Flint1979]

Update on "Phase 2" of the flex lane project on U.S. 23 that will go from 9 Mile to I-96. I honestly wish MDOT would just do a proper widening and add a full third lane.
Officials set to preview 3-year, $146-million expansion of U.S. 23 Flex Route to I-96

Officials plan to extend the Flex Route north from its current end point at M-36 (9 Mile Road) to the I-96 interchange just outside Brighton.

Doing so won't be a quick task, with road work planned for the next three construction seasons, 2023 through 2025, according to MDOT. The project is slated to proceed north to south with next year's work focusing on the stretch of highway between Spencer Road to a point north of the Huron River.

Officials plan to add an auxiliary lane along southbound U.S. 23 between the eastbound I-96 on-ramp and the Lee Road off-ramp, allowing vehicles entering U.S. 23 and exiting to Lee Road to stay in the same lane while providing additional time for other cars to get in the right lane.

MDOT also plans to complete repair work on the Grand River Avenue bridges and Lee Road bridge, and U.S. 23 will be lowered under Lee Road to improve vertical clearance. The ramps at the exit will also be repaved.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2022/11/officials-set-to-preview-3-year-146-million-expansion-of-us-23-flex-route-to-i-96.html

Which will do little to help. That area of US-23 needs to be widened and the lanes need to be open 24 hours a day not just during peak hours. US-23 is underbuilt between Flint and Toledo for the massive volumes of traffic that use it.

[JoePCool14]

That's really disappointing. Flex lanes should only be used where space is genuinely unavailable or significantly difficult to get ahold of, like the Madison Beltline. US-23 has enough space for proper widening and needs it too. They'll build the flex lane and realize the mistake within a decade.

[Flint1979]

That's really disappointing. Flex lanes should only be used where space is genuinely unavailable or significantly difficult to get ahold of, like the Madison Beltline. US-23 has enough space for proper widening and needs it too. They'll build the flex lane and realize the mistake within a decade.

They have it already south of there all the way to the M-14 interchange and it really hasn't done anything to help. I don't understand MDOT's laziness with this highway I really don't. It's a pretty important corridor and with the traffic volumes it should be at least six lanes the entire stretch. I can't count the times I've been on this highway and was unable to pass because of both lanes being occupied and in both directions the closer you get to the I-96 interchange everyone always seems to get in the left lane too early and drive slow. I have numerous times hopped in the right lane and blown around them it really pisses me off how they drive on this highway.

[JoePCool14]

That's really disappointing. Flex lanes should only be used where space is genuinely unavailable or significantly difficult to get ahold of, like the Madison Beltline. US-23 has enough space for proper widening and needs it too. They'll build the flex lane and realize the mistake within a decade.

They have it already south of there all the way to the M-14 interchange and it really hasn't done anything to help. I don't understand MDOT's laziness with this highway I really don't. It's a pretty important corridor and with the traffic volumes it should be at least six lanes the entire stretch. I can't count the times I've been on this highway and was unable to pass because of both lanes being occupied and in both directions the closer you get to the I-96 interchange everyone always seems to get in the left lane too early and drive slow. I have numerous times hopped in the right lane and blown around them it really pisses me off how they drive on this highway.

Yeah. I drove this stretch a few months ago over the summer and I agree with what you're saying. But this all shouldn't be seen as a surprise given the state of I-94 throughout Michigan, a more important corridor.

[Flint1979]

That's really disappointing. Flex lanes should only be used where space is genuinely unavailable or significantly difficult to get ahold of, like the Madison Beltline. US-23 has enough space for proper widening and needs it too. They'll build the flex lane and realize the mistake within a decade.

They have it already south of there all the way to the M-14 interchange and it really hasn't done anything to help. I don't understand MDOT's laziness with this highway I really don't. It's a pretty important corridor and with the traffic volumes it should be at least six lanes the entire stretch. I can't count the times I've been on this highway and was unable to pass because of both lanes being occupied and in both directions the closer you get to the I-96 interchange everyone always seems to get in the left lane too early and drive slow. I have numerous times hopped in the right lane and blown around them it really pisses me off how they drive on this highway.

Yeah. I drove this stretch a few months ago over the summer and I agree with what you're saying. But this all shouldn't be seen as a surprise given the state of I-94 throughout Michigan, a more important corridor.

Yeah I-94 is a joke too. It seems like just about the entire stretch of I-94 through Michigan should be at least six lanes as well and it's beyond pathetic in Detroit where it's six lanes through the city with traffic volumes well over 150,000 VPD, I think it gets up to about 170,000 VPD around the I-75/Chene Street area.

[JREwing78]

A recent Michigan State University study linked the bump in posted speeds from 70 to 75 mph on rural freeways with a 5% bump in accidents, based on statistics from 2014-2016 crash data (pre-increase) and 2018-2019 crash data (post-increase).

From the Free Press article (requires subscription): https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/11/28/msu-study-speed-limit-increases-crashes/69673491007/
Former Michigan Rep. Bradford Jacobsen sponsored the 2016 bill that led to the 75-mph limit changes. The Oxford Republican left the state House in 2017 because of term limits.

"What they don't do is look at the actual accidents themselves, which is what I think you need to do," he said. "This doesn't take into account accidents caused by alcohol, drugs or excessive speed. It's usually not the speed necessarily, its driver error, distraction, excessive speed."

Many of Michigan's freeways were designed for traveling speeds of up to 80 mph, Jacobsen said. During the gasoline shortages of the 1980s, freeway speeds were reduced 65 or 70 mph to 55 mph "and things never changed back," he said.

The 2016 bills were motivated by motorists "who drive extensive miles in areas that were designed for higher speeds but they were artificially low," Jacobsen said. The bill left it to MDOT and Michigan State Police to determine what roads could safely implement the increases.

That approach seems to have helped the crash statistics, said Nischal Gupta, an MSU graduate researcher and coauthor of the study. By implementing the changes on more rural freeways with wide shoulders and fewer access points, it provided more areas for avoiding crashes.

"That is a primary reason why we are seeing a lower increase in crashes compared to other literature" from other states, he said.

But that also means that if the Legislature looked to expand increased speed zones in the state to other areas, the safest areas for such changes are already utilized.

Study results: https://tsr.international/TSR/article/view/24337

[JREwing78]

The areas that got bumped from 55 to 65 mph were also touched on. Again, from the Free Press:

At the same time as freeway speeds were increased, the state Legislature in 2016 also hiked speed limits to 65 mph on nearly 950 miles of two-lane highways in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. The MSU researchers, in a separate study using video camera, radar and LIDAR speed guns, found traveling speeds on those highways – the so-called 85th percentile speed, at which 85% of motorists will drive during free-flowing conditions – increased by 5 mph two years after the speed limit changes. The impact on crashes from those two-lane highway speed changes is a topic of ongoing research, Savolainen said.

Personal commentary: It would be nice if MDOT was able to arrive at design standards that would allow the bump to 65 mph in at least the U.P., or north of US-10. With areas like the Keweenaw and Ironwood being 9-10 hours away from the capitol, those 2017 speed limit hikes easily save 1-2 hours of drive time. If they were able to apply those hikes more universally, it would save even more.

[dlovechio]

Indiana and Ohio are looking like better places to live.

As an Indiana resident, I am always jealous when driving on Michigan roads, (while I understand some road conditions may be worse and Indiana) Indiana may be widening and upgrading infrastructure at a faster rate than Michigan (interstates like 65 and 465) However when I drive through Three Rivers on the newly redone 131 with the 50mph speed limit, TIMED LIGHTS, and Michigan lefts it would take twice as long to get through any divided highway in an Indiana city. Every state road in the South Bend area has horrendous lights that need to be timed and could benefit from Michigan lefts to improve efficiency even more. For Indiana 331 between the US 20 bypass and SR 23, which I drive every day and 90% of the time get stopped by every light, or have them change and run through the cycle when no one is even at the intersection or wants to turn left, it will give a left turn arrow to no one, and also only uses protected left turns which makes the lights even longer) Many people have complained to INDOT with a similar story on almost every state road I have driven on in Indiana, but they just put in all this nice infrastructure and don't care about efficiency the way MDOT does. I think MDOT does the best it can with its limited money, and still ends up running more efficiently. Even driving through Kalamazoo all the stop lights were timed on the arterial roads unlike South Bend-Mishawaka or Indy areas. Similar story with speed limits, Indiana has a 65 mph cap on any freeway that isn't an interstate, and 60 mph for four-lane highways (like US 31) that isn't to freeway standards. I was so shocked when I was up north in Michigan on 131 and the speed limit was 75mph on a road similar to US 31 between Veterans Pwky Pierce Rd. (only 65mph)

[catch22]

As part of the ongoing I-275 reconstruction between Eureka Road and the M-14/I-96 interchange, MDOT is starting the process of moving two-way traffic from the NB lanes to the newly-built SB lanes beginning today.  There will be short-term ramp closures over the next few days as traffic is flipped, but the biggest headache will be that I-275 will be down to one lane in both directions for "two to three weeks" as MDOT moves the concrete barrier sections over to the new pavement.  Then, there will be two lanes in both directions on the new pavement with all ramps open until the SB lanes are reconstructed next year.

Details here in this MDOT press release:  https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDOT/bulletins/3395e16

[Flint1979]

Indiana and Ohio are looking like better places to live.

As an Indiana resident, I am always jealous when driving on Michigan roads, (while I understand some road conditions may be worse and Indiana) Indiana may be widening and upgrading infrastructure at a faster rate than Michigan (interstates like 65 and 465) However when I drive through Three Rivers on the newly redone 131 with the 50mph speed limit, TIMED LIGHTS, and Michigan lefts it would take twice as long to get through any divided highway in an Indiana city. Every state road in the South Bend area has horrendous lights that need to be timed and could benefit from Michigan lefts to improve efficiency even more. For Indiana 331 between the US 20 bypass and SR 23, which I drive every day and 90% of the time get stopped by every light, or have them change and run through the cycle when no one is even at the intersection or wants to turn left, it will give a left turn arrow to no one, and also only uses protected left turns which makes the lights even longer) Many people have complained to INDOT with a similar story on almost every state road I have driven on in Indiana, but they just put in all this nice infrastructure and don't care about efficiency the way MDOT does. I think MDOT does the best it can with its limited money, and still ends up running more efficiently. Even driving through Kalamazoo all the stop lights were timed on the arterial roads unlike South Bend-Mishawaka or Indy areas. Similar story with speed limits, Indiana has a 65 mph cap on any freeway that isn't an interstate, and 60 mph for four-lane highways (like US 31) that isn't to freeway standards. I was so shocked when I was up north in Michigan on 131 and the speed limit was 75mph on a road similar to US 31 between Veterans Pwky Pierce Rd. (only 65mph)

The thing is Michigan lefts aren't everywhere in the state, they are in a lot of places but there are still traffic lights that are poorly timed. We have lights like that in my area where there will be a green light and no traffic will be present on the street that has the green light but there will be 10-15 cars at the red light making all that traffic stop for no reason at all. The 75 mph speed limit is mostly in rural areas, except for US-10 between Midland and Bay City and I-69 between Flint and Lansing, those two highways have quite a bit of traffic on them for a 75 mph speed limit. I'd still rather live in Ohio or Indiana than this messed up state.

[Flint1979]

The areas that got bumped from 55 to 65 mph were also touched on. Again, from the Free Press:

At the same time as freeway speeds were increased, the state Legislature in 2016 also hiked speed limits to 65 mph on nearly 950 miles of two-lane highways in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. The MSU researchers, in a separate study using video camera, radar and LIDAR speed guns, found traveling speeds on those highways – the so-called 85th percentile speed, at which 85% of motorists will drive during free-flowing conditions – increased by 5 mph two years after the speed limit changes. The impact on crashes from those two-lane highway speed changes is a topic of ongoing research, Savolainen said.

Personal commentary: It would be nice if MDOT was able to arrive at design standards that would allow the bump to 65 mph in at least the U.P., or north of US-10. With areas like the Keweenaw and Ironwood being 9-10 hours away from the capitol, those 2017 speed limit hikes easily save 1-2 hours of drive time. If they were able to apply those hikes more universally, it would save even more.

I'm not seeing how it would save you 1-2 hours of drive time, maybe about 45 minutes but 1-2 hours seems to be stretching it.

[JoePCool14]

The thing is Michigan lefts aren't everywhere in the state, they are in a lot of places but there are still traffic lights that are poorly timed. We have lights like that in my area where there will be a green light and no traffic will be present on the street that has the green light but there will be 10-15 cars at the red light making all that traffic stop for no reason at all. The 75 mph speed limit is mostly in rural areas, except for US-10 between Midland and Bay City and I-69 between Flint and Lansing, those two highways have quite a bit of traffic on them for a 75 mph speed limit. I'd still rather live in Ohio or Indiana than this messed up state.

Even if Michigan lefts aren't absolutely everywhere, at least in Michigan they exist and that's more than can be said about other states. We get stuck with almost every road having inefficient left turn signalization.

[pianocello]

A recent Michigan State University study linked the bump in posted speeds from 70 to 75 mph on rural freeways with a 5% bump in accidents, based on statistics from 2014-2016 crash data (pre-increase) and 2018-2019 crash data (post-increase).

Thanks for posting this, I especially appreciate the direct link to the research. This is literally an extension of the research I worked on in grad school!

[wanderer2575]

As part of the ongoing I-275 reconstruction between Eureka Road and the M-14/I-96 interchange, MDOT is starting the process of moving two-way traffic from the NB lanes to the newly-built SB lanes beginning today.  There will be short-term ramp closures over the next few days as traffic is flipped, but the biggest headache will be that I-275 will be down to one lane in both directions for "two to three weeks" as MDOT moves the concrete barrier sections over to the new pavement.  Then, there will be two lanes in both directions on the new pavement with all ramps open until the SB lanes are reconstructed next year.

Details here in this MDOT press release:  https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDOT/bulletins/3395e16

Interesting; this is the first time I can recall where both directions of traffic have been temporarily aligned on one carriageway at the end of the year.  I guess the contractor plans to continue working over the winter months with whatever demolition can be done on the nbd lanes.

Contrast that with the I-96 rebuild in western Oakland County.  That was shut down a couple weeks ago for the winter, with all lanes reopened on both carriageways.

[wanderer2575]

Sheetz is planning to open a Detroit location in 2025, with other Michigan locations to follow.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/11/29/sheetz-convenience-store-michigan/69684793007/

[Flint1979]

Sheetz is planning to open a Detroit location in 2025, with other Michigan locations to follow.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/11/29/sheetz-convenience-store-michigan/69684793007/

That's pretty interesting since they don't have any Michigan locations yet kinda like Loves was not too long ago.

[thenetwork]

"What they don't do is look at the actual accidents themselves, which is what I think you need to do," he said. "This doesn't take into account accidents caused by alcohol, drugs or excessive speed. It's usually not the speed necessarily, its driver error, distraction, excessive speed."

I'd bet donuts to dollars that much of that increase of accidents can be attributed to people using their cell phones while driving.  No mention of that anywhere...

[NWI_Irish96]

"What they don't do is look at the actual accidents themselves, which is what I think you need to do," he said. "This doesn't take into account accidents caused by alcohol, drugs or excessive speed. It's usually not the speed necessarily, its driver error, distraction, excessive speed."

I'd bet donuts to dollars that much of that increase of accidents can be attributed to people using their cell phones while driving.  No mention of that anywhere...

I'm seeing a lot more accidents of people simply refusing to yield a right of way, sometimes via just blowing through red lights.

[wanderer2575]

"What they don't do is look at the actual accidents themselves, which is what I think you need to do," he said. "This doesn't take into account accidents caused by alcohol, drugs or excessive speed. It's usually not the speed necessarily, its driver error, distraction, excessive speed."

I'd bet donuts to dollars that much of that increase of accidents can be attributed to people using their cell phones while driving.  No mention of that anywhere...

I'm seeing a lot more accidents of people simply refusing to yield a right of way, sometimes via just blowing through red lights.

I think it's more the reckless driving and impatience than it is cellphone use.  I've said before and I'll say it again:  A lot of people got used to living out their Fast and the Furious fantasies while the roads were empty during COVID and they don't want to give it up.

[JREwing78]

With areas like the Keweenaw and Ironwood being 9-10 hours away from the capitol, those 2017 speed limit hikes easily save 1-2 hours of drive time. If they were able to apply those hikes more universally, it would save even more.

I'm not seeing how it would save you 1-2 hours of drive time, maybe about 45 minutes but 1-2 hours seems to be stretching it.

Starting from downtown Lansing, a drive to Houghton is 495 miles. A drive to Ironwood is 540 miles. Out of simplicity's sake, let's ignore the relatively short sections of sub-55mph highway and assume you can average at least 55 mph the entire distance. I'll deduct the time savings of the speed limit increases from that figure.

Between 1974 and 1986, you are legally restricted to 55 mph. Drive time without any stops or other slowdowns, Houghton (not the lake) is a 9 hour drive from Lansing, and Ironwood takes 9 hours, 48 minutes. The portion from Lansing to the Mackinac Bridge is 230 miles and takes 4 hours, 10 minutes on its own.

By the end of the '80s, you could travel 65 mph north of Ithaca to the bridge. So for 188 of those ~500 miles, you can travel 65 mph. That alone saves a half-hour of drive time.

By the end of the '90s, the St. Johns bypass was completed and speed limits on the freeways were bumped to 70 mph. Now we have 215 miles one could travel at 70 mph. Travel time from Lansing to the Mackinac Bridge drops to 3 hours, 23 minutes from 4 hours, 10 minutes, for a savings of 47 minutes.

Fast forward to the end of 2018, after all the speed limit hikes take effect. Lansing to the Mackinac Bridge now takes 3 hours, 8 minutes, which is a whole hour saved right there. Haven't even taken the U.P. into account yet.

Taking the fastest route from the Bridge to Houghton (US-2, M-77, M-28, US-41), there are now approx. 150 miles of 65 mph speed limits. That saves you 25 minutes of drive time. Between Ishpeming and Chassell, another 75 miles could be reasonably posted for 65 mph, which would save another 12 minutes.

Lansing to Houghton, 1986: 9 hours
Lansing to Houghton, 2018: 7 hours, 33 minutes  - 1 hour, 27 minutes saved
Lansing to Houghton, all available 65 mph sections: 7 hours, 21 minutes - 1 hour, 39 minutes saved

Looking at Ironwood, I'll favor the northern path along M-28 to maximize mileage at 65 mph. I can traverse about 228 miles of the 303 miles at 65 mph. Drive time to cross the U.P. falls from 5 hours, 30 minutes to 4 hours, 52 minutes, a savings of 38 minutes. Bump up the US-41 stretch into Ishpeming to 65 and you'll knock off another 6 minutes.

Lansing to Ironwood, 1986: 9 hours, 48 minutes
Lansing to Ironwood, 2018: 8 hours, 10 minutes - 1 hour, 38 minutes saved
Lansing to Ironwood, all available 65 mph sections: 8 hours, 4 minutes - 1 hour, 44 minutes saved

Note that in both cases, it takes half-again as long to cross the U.P. as it does to get from the Mackinac Bridge to Lansing. Not only is it shorter in distance (to Houghton, you travel 260 miles in the U.P. v.s. 230 miles in the L.P..), the 10 additional MPH you can legally travel on I-75 and US-127 does a lot to shrink drive time across the L.P.