Ortonville – Mark Sweeney, Metro Region Design Engineer, for the Michigan Department of Transportation, is excited that traffic will move easier on M-15 in 2005.
Village officials and MDOT met the first week of October to discuss plans to add a left turn lane on M-15 from South Street, north, to Mill Street.
‘It’s a project to improve safety on that road,? said Village Manager Paul Zelenak.
‘The added lane should reduce the number of rear end accidents from people turning left off of the roadway, or deter people passing on the shoulder.? It should improve free flow of traffic into the businesses on M-15.?
Sweeney said that when MDOT did the widening on M-15, in front of Bullfrogs Restaurant two years ago, it became apparent that a turn lane would ease traffic flow through the village portion of M-15.
‘When we did that widening in front of Bullfrogs we eased the traffic flow there but discovered the need further up M-15,? said Sweeney.
‘Sometimes when improvements are made other safety problems are magnified.?
Sweeney said once attention was called to the problem area the spotlight for funding was the next step.
On a yearly basis, funding is available for the Metro area region for traffic improvement projects.
A regional traffic and safety engineer looks at candidate projects and this year the M-15 left turn lane was targeted.
‘A lot of these projects are generated because of safety or capacity problems,? said Sweeney.
‘Traffic movement should improve by eliminating left turns.
Current Sweeney and engineering consultants Spalding, DeDecker Assoc., Inc. from Rochester Hills are looking at the scope of the project, which MDOT has budgeted an estimated $400,000 for the improvement.
‘We’re very exited about it,? said Sweeney.
‘We already know from other projects (similar to this) that the left turn lane improves traffic flow.?
Sweeney cautions that the 2005 project is in no way attached to or effected by the long range MDOT plan to widen M-15 from Ortonville through Goodrich. MDOT still estimates that project as a long range goal still in the planning stage.
Village Manager Zelenak says the turn lane project is also still in the planning stages with more scope meetings ahead, but MDOT plans to begin work in the summer of 2005.