Thoughts on US-127/US-223 - Jackson to Toledo

[JREwing78]

I'm continually puzzled by MDOT's continued resistance to doing, well, ANYTHING substantive to improve travel conditions on US-127 south of Jackson to the Irish Hills area.

For the 11 miles between the East M-50 interchange and US-223, the route is generally 2-lanes each way, with 3-land divided and 4-lane "passing lanes" sections interspersed between the 2-lane sections.

Turn back the clock 65 years, and MDOT was gung-ho on extending the 4-lane US-127 farther south, eventually connecting it to Toledo via US-223. The current US-127 was initially built as a 2-lane highway that could be converted to expressway or freeway. Michigan International Speedway was built just to the east off US-12, guaranteeing at least several weekends a year of heavy traffic into the area. At one point, this section was slated for part of Interstate 73.

The most recent project along this stretch was to create a roundabout intersection where US-127 and US-223 meet up. This is a substantial safety benefit over the old Y-shaped intersection, so it's understandable one would go there.

On the most recent 5-year plan, the only other thing MDOT has planned is to put in a center turn lane at Harper Rd/Lewis Rd, where Jackson, Hillsdale, and Lenawee counties meet.

Nothing at the US-12 intersection. No changes to the signalized intersection at Jefferson Rd. No frontage or backage roads to limit direct access to the right-of-way. Nothing except a steady buildup of industrial and commercial sites along the outside of the reserved 200' right-of-way, each with its own driveway to the busiest 2-lane undivided rural highway in America (Anyone aware of a busier 2-lane highway? I'm all ears!)

Somewhere along the way, with stagnant or declining populations in Jackson County, Lenawee County, and in the Toledo metro, plus the availability of the US-23 and I-94 freeways, the push to extend a freeway through the area died. I get it.

However, this lack of action means that a basically 2-lane rural highway is carrying between 18,000 and 23,000 vehicles per day. That's not just sufficient numbers to justify 4-laning - it's enough to justify a fully limited-access freeway! It's right in line with traffic levels on US-127 between Mason and Jackson - which has been 4-laned for 70 years and converted to freeway for 60 years!

Here's how ridiculous this situation is: MDOT has to put in temporary cones several times a year to delineate a 2+1 lane arrangement for Michigan International Speedway traffic to navigate the area. The road is so substandard for traffic demands that they have to tie up a bunch of cops to manage traffic several times a year because they can't figure out how to scrape $20-$30 million together for a permanent road that can handle the traffic.

Ferchristsake, they couldn't be bothered to make it a 5-lane undivided highway! Meanwhile. the last 2-lane section of US-412 in Missouri is being evaluated for widening to a 4-lane divided or 5-lane undivided highway for 25% of the traffic this stretch of US-127 gets!

US-131 south of Portage gets similar traffic numbers to this section of US-127. It's a 4-lane divided highway (except for poor Schoolcraft, which still suffers with freeway-level traffic right through downtown). and was recently improved with J-turns replacing all the median crossovers between Portage and Three Rivers.

I get that MDOT is broke. But not even to come to the table with a 5-lane undivided highway when they already have ample right-of-way and an overload of traffic is ridiculous! There's even precedent for just this plan - M-20 between Mount Pleasant and Midland, which overall has LESS traffic than this section of US-127.

US-223 through Lenawee County doesn't see the ridiculous overload of traffic US-127 does, but the traffic's still there to justify 4-laning. MDOT even was taking steps to accommodate this with the Adrian bypass.

As allergic as folks in Michigan are to a toll road, I have a hard time believing that a 50 mile long Jackson to Toledo toll road wouldn't perform at least well enough to sustain itself. It would save a half-hour of travel time between the two cities, and between other points in western Michigan (Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, etc). It would pull a substantial amount of traffic off US-23 and I-94, and a smaller part off I-96 east of Lansing. It would also likely be a boost to Adrian and Blissfield as commuter-friendly cities to Toledo.

[The Ghostbuster]

Do the traffic counts on US 127/US 223 south and southeast of Jackson warrant an expansion to four lanes? Interstate 73 was to have followed the US 223 and US 127 corridor before Michigan put the kibosh on it in 2001. Maybe 73 should have followed US 23 all the way to Interstate 75 in Flint (and terminated there).

[TempoNick]

I love freeways and I hate at-grade crossings. As far as I'm concerned, they should build as many freeways as they can.

[JREwing78]

...

However, this lack of action means that a basically 2-lane rural highway is carrying between 18,000 and 23,000 vehicles per day. That's not just sufficient numbers to justify 4-laning - it's enough to justify a fully limited-access freeway! It's right in line with traffic levels on US-127 between Mason and Jackson - which has been 4-laned for 70 years and converted to freeway for 60 years!
 

Here's how ridiculous this situation is: MDOT has to put in temporary cones several times a year to delineate a 2+1 lane arrangement for Michigan International Speedway traffic to navigate the area. The road is so substandard for traffic demands that they have to tie up a bunch of cops to manage traffic several times a year because they can't figure out how to scrape $20-$30 million together for a permanent road that can handle the traffic.

There are two sections of 4-lane undivided "passing lanes" sections, and two other sections of 3 lane (2 lanes + TWLTL) along the stretch. But ostensibly, this is a 2-lane rural highway carrying freeway level traffic. 

Long-term, a freeway would obviously be the correct answer. But Michigan can't figure out how to keep the existing roads from crumbling apart, so I know a freeway ain't gonna happen.

I'm just astounded that someone, somewhere, hasn't made a big enough stink about the situation to do the bare minimum and build it out as a 5 lane undivided (4 lane with TWLTL) highway all the way down to US-223. MDOT has the right-of-way already to make it work. All it has to do is move the dirt and throw down some asphalt!