#MDOT TRAFFIC COUNT MICHIGAN FREE#

Six months from now, U.S.-23 travelers, commuters, business patrons, and residents will be driving on a brand-new road that is safer for all users and free of work activity. We hope that sharing accurate information for what can be expected and the ability to plan accordingly will help reduce any of that anxiety. Those devices signify an upcoming period of inconvenience for commuters, or the possibility of reduced patronage for businesses. We realize that most people do not enjoy seeing orange signs and barrels on the road in front of their home or business, or on a route that they drive frequently. Those are work operations that can and will be performed with all traffic maintained on U.S.-23, with traditional intermittent lane and shoulder closures. Later in July, travelers and residents will see the top layer of asphalt paving completed, along with final restoration of driveway approaches and roadsides. If all major items of work are not completed by that time, the detour will be lifted, anyway, with adjustments to temporary traffic controls, though we are confident that will not be needed. It is our goal to have all major items of work completed by the beginning of July, except for the top layer of asphalt paving. The detour of through-traffic will begin when the project starts, and U.S.-23 will be back open to all traffic by Thursday, July 1, in time for Independence Day weekend.

We will monitor conditions very closely the next couple of months, and, if we see an opportunity to start earlier than mid-April, we likely will.

#MDOT TRAFFIC COUNT MICHIGAN DRIVERS#

The traffic lanes for local traffic will be narrower than usual and will have a temporary gravel surface, so it will be important for drivers to obey signs and use the detour if not intending to travel locally in the project area.Д¬urrently, we plan to begin work in mid-April.Д«ased on experience, that is usually the time of year when winter has subsided, seasonal weight restrictions have been lifted, and weather conditions have become suitable for road building. Local traffic will be accommodated through the work area in a more traditional sense, with one lane open in alternating directions during active work hours, and one lane open in each direction during non-working hours. While the length of the detour route is significant, it only adds about six minutes of travel time for through-traffic.Д¬onversely, U.S.-23 traffic with a residence or business destination within the work area will not be required to use the detour and posted signs will make this clear. Therefore, U.S.-23 traffic intending to travel through on their way to a different location will be required to follow a posted detour on M-72, Barlow Road, and F-41 between Harrisville and the Spruce area.

The extent of the work makes it impractical to maintain normal traffic volumes through the work zone.

Our work schedule and traffic maintenance plan were developed with the goal of shortening the overall project duration and returning U.S.-23 to normal operations as quickly as can reasonably be achieved and in time for the peak of the summer tourism season. While weвЂ™ve had three meetings in the past several months, sharing information about what the community and travelers can expect during work, we wanted to reach out more broadly with details of the project and how it will affect traffic.ДЇirst and foremost, we at MDOT certainly understand the concerns that business owners and community leaders have anytime they hear of an upcoming road building project, let alone during a time of amplified hardships because of a global pandemic.

Mdot traffic count michigan