gb, there have been three taffic circles along this part of Barnes for well over a decade, I think: at Coleman, Davis and Beal. Is another one being built at another intersection? I was on the street a month or two ago but did not pay attention.
All winter there was no rotary at Beal and Barnes the old one had been removed. This spring they reconstructed a new circle at Beal. I have not been down Smith lately but they had removed a rotary on that street too, maybe it's also been rebuilt. This one looks like drivers will not be able to cut over the side of the circle as the curbs are higher. I'm sure many will try, it is difficult to turn that stirring wheel! The new street looks very nice.
"State of Michigan: Meeting to discuss 2020 Homer Street lane reduction project in Lansing on June 27"
"MDOT will invest approximately $200,000 in 2020 to remove the far right lane on Homer Street between Vine Street and the northbound US-127 exit ramp to M-43 as part of its safety program. This will improve the sight distance for turning onto or crossing Homer Street and is expected to reduce crashes along the corridor. MDOT is working on this project with local partners, including the City of Lansing and the Lansing Board of Water of Light, to reduce cost and increase efficiency."
I'm trying to visualize how this change will be done, but it is a good change regardless. I try to avoid that exit ramp if at all possible because of how dangerous it can be during peak travel periods. This reduces the oncoming lanes but the way that is worded it sounds like there will still be four lanes total from the exit ramp onward to the entrance ramp back onto 127. So people will have to cut across lanes of traffic to turn right onto M43.
Yeah, this will only help south of the exit ramp, like they said, for the cars turning north onto Homer from say Fernwood and Sellers. North of there, it's not going to make much difference. The problem is that cars exiting 127 will always have to cut across multiple lanes of traffic to get to Saginaw/M-43.
I think a big thing here is just speed. A few months ago coming west down Grand River I had someone speeding getting around me not paying attention running the red light, and just absolutely T-boned a northbound car at Homer and Grand River. Scariest thing I ever saw. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but had anyone been in the passenger side of the car, they'd have been dead.
I think Homer/Grand River has to be the worst intersection and then probably Howard/Grand River. This westbound Grand River traffic goes even faster than the eastbound Saginaw traffic, because drivers are coming down a slight incline, whereas on eastbound Saginaw you have to climb up to get to Saginaw/Howard so that traffic is usually paying more attention to the lights and don't have to slam on their breaks or try to run the yellow.
As for the exit ramp, I've always kind of wondered if the ramp is long enough - or if they could make it long enough - to put a light at the end of it to control access during rush hour? I've seen these in other cities across the country (they used to have them in Detroit). I guess the other option would be to move the ramp back/south so that it doesn't meet so close to the light, though that obviously by more expensive.
Oh, I see the LSJ had a story on this today, now. And it appears I was right about eastbound Grand River and northbound Homer:
The area in question is a hotspot for crashes, Michigan State Police data shows.
There were 69 collisions, none of them fatal, at the intersection of East Saginaw Street and North Homer Street in 2017. That was the highest number of crashes for any intersection in Ingham County.
The vicinity of the Frandor Shopping Center, a bustling retail district at the border of Lansing and East Lansing, is particularly crash-prone.
From the rest of MDOT's announcement:
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is holding a public meeting to discuss a proposed safety project along Homer Street to reduce the roadway from three to two lanes between Vine Street and the northbound US-127 exit ramp to M-43 (Saginaw Highway).
With as fast as cars come up Homer, you'd probably need a stop light to control access. There is really just too much speed and traffic to hot have something highly visible to control access either from the ramp or continuing up Homer. I guess taking out a lane of traffic might slow things down, but I doubt it'd be enough just given the speed traffic picks up from the light at Michigan.
Honestly, though, I'm just guessing. I think we all agree that there has to be some level of control at the intersection of the off-ramp and Homer. It's just crazy how something this poorly designed was allowed to be built in the first place. They probably should have just planned for Clippert to be a more major street and left out Homer altogether. Or like I said, they should have pushed the ramp onto Homer further south so drivers seeking eastbound Saginaw would be given more room to merge.
Oh, didn't notice this. Looks like CATA put a new bus shelter on the Michigan Avenue bridge. Council Vice President Spadafore posted this on his twitter:
It looks nice, aesthetically, but someone did correctly comment that there is barely any seating in it, which is basically to keep the homeless out. Not exactly a friendly design for those who need a seat.
EDIT: Looks like maybe it was not completed when the photo was taken. There are seats in and outside the stop.
Yeah, that off ramp has always been a nightmare. I often get off at Kalamazoo and drive down to avoid it. I've always wondered why they can't so something as simple as a stop sign, like much of the Detroit area has, as someone previously mentioned.
Assuming it actually would work...people seem slow to adapt to traffic changes I'm noticing. I passed through the intersection of Mt. Hope and MLK several times a day and I can't tell you how many people refused to adapt to the new right turn only lane to go north on MLK, despite the many, flagged signs!
MDOT is seeking a waiver of the city's noise ordinance to speed up work on the rehab of MLK all the way from Pleasant Grove Road to the JAIL railroad tracks just south of Victor Avenue. The city council agenda reads that they'll be doing a "an asphalt inlay of the outside two lanes and a single course mill and overlay of the inside three lanes," which I'm not 100% sure of what that means. I guess "inlay" is confusing me, as it just sounds like they are repaving the outer lanes (maybe?) and then reconstructing the surface of the inside three? Which strikes me as unusual since it's usually the outer lanes on a street which need the most work. In any case, I think the oustside lanes are concrete and the inner lanes are overlain with asphalt.
Anyway, we're finding out MDOT is redoing a huge stretch of the avenue this year.
I think on MKL the two outside lanes of the five are in very bad shape and need more extensive repair, they also seem to have cement pavements that are different than the three inside lanes which seem to have asphalt pavements. Mich just noted that! These lanes are bad all the way from the tracks south to the city limits.
At the lane drop on Mt Hope and MLK, I think there needs to be a traffic island that creates a must turn right lane, and blocks traffic from going straight through. I wonder if they are going to reconfigure the lanes as they did from MLK west when they finish the sewer project? I think it is confusing to go from two with a left turn lane then four then back to two.
On another transit subject, today I noticed new locomotives on the Amtrak Blue Water train! I do not know if this is a permanent change but they looked pretty cool, like a 21st Century train! I wonder how long they used the old locomotives, it seems like at least 20 years. The train still looks to have passenger cars of three different ages.
Anything they can do to make 127 safer in the Grand River/Saginaw area is welcome. I often turn off at Round Lake Road and take Wood Road back into the city, it is a very pretty and peaceful way to avoid that whole section of 127 when coming south from my cabin up in Hale.
Comments
gb, there have been three taffic circles along this part of Barnes for well over a decade, I think: at Coleman, Davis and Beal. Is another one being built at another intersection? I was on the street a month or two ago but did not pay attention.
All winter there was no rotary at Beal and Barnes the old one had been removed. This spring they reconstructed a new circle at Beal. I have not been down Smith lately but they had removed a rotary on that street too, maybe it's also been rebuilt. This one looks like drivers will not be able to cut over the side of the circle as the curbs are higher. I'm sure many will try, it is difficult to turn that stirring wheel! The new street looks very nice.
"State of Michigan: Meeting to discuss 2020 Homer Street lane reduction project in Lansing on June 27"
"MDOT will invest approximately $200,000 in 2020 to remove the far right lane on Homer Street between Vine Street and the northbound US-127 exit ramp to M-43 as part of its safety program. This will improve the sight distance for turning onto or crossing Homer Street and is expected to reduce crashes along the corridor. MDOT is working on this project with local partners, including the City of Lansing and the Lansing Board of Water of Light, to reduce cost and increase efficiency."
https://www.michigan.gov/som/0,4669,7-192-47796-500127--,00.html
I'm trying to visualize how this change will be done, but it is a good change regardless. I try to avoid that exit ramp if at all possible because of how dangerous it can be during peak travel periods. This reduces the oncoming lanes but the way that is worded it sounds like there will still be four lanes total from the exit ramp onward to the entrance ramp back onto 127. So people will have to cut across lanes of traffic to turn right onto M43.
Yeah, this will only help south of the exit ramp, like they said, for the cars turning north onto Homer from say Fernwood and Sellers. North of there, it's not going to make much difference. The problem is that cars exiting 127 will always have to cut across multiple lanes of traffic to get to Saginaw/M-43.
I think a big thing here is just speed. A few months ago coming west down Grand River I had someone speeding getting around me not paying attention running the red light, and just absolutely T-boned a northbound car at Homer and Grand River. Scariest thing I ever saw. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but had anyone been in the passenger side of the car, they'd have been dead.
I think Homer/Grand River has to be the worst intersection and then probably Howard/Grand River. This westbound Grand River traffic goes even faster than the eastbound Saginaw traffic, because drivers are coming down a slight incline, whereas on eastbound Saginaw you have to climb up to get to Saginaw/Howard so that traffic is usually paying more attention to the lights and don't have to slam on their breaks or try to run the yellow.
As for the exit ramp, I've always kind of wondered if the ramp is long enough - or if they could make it long enough - to put a light at the end of it to control access during rush hour? I've seen these in other cities across the country (they used to have them in Detroit). I guess the other option would be to move the ramp back/south so that it doesn't meet so close to the light, though that obviously by more expensive.
Oh, I see the LSJ had a story on this today, now. And it appears I was right about eastbound Grand River and northbound Homer:
From the rest of MDOT's announcement:
With as fast as cars come up Homer, you'd probably need a stop light to control access. There is really just too much speed and traffic to hot have something highly visible to control access either from the ramp or continuing up Homer. I guess taking out a lane of traffic might slow things down, but I doubt it'd be enough just given the speed traffic picks up from the light at Michigan.
Honestly, though, I'm just guessing. I think we all agree that there has to be some level of control at the intersection of the off-ramp and Homer. It's just crazy how something this poorly designed was allowed to be built in the first place. They probably should have just planned for Clippert to be a more major street and left out Homer altogether. Or like I said, they should have pushed the ramp onto Homer further south so drivers seeking eastbound Saginaw would be given more room to merge.
Oh, didn't notice this. Looks like CATA put a new bus shelter on the Michigan Avenue bridge. Council Vice President Spadafore posted this on his twitter:
It looks nice, aesthetically, but someone did correctly comment that there is barely any seating in it, which is basically to keep the homeless out. Not exactly a friendly design for those who need a seat.
EDIT: Looks like maybe it was not completed when the photo was taken. There are seats in and outside the stop.
Yeah, that off ramp has always been a nightmare. I often get off at Kalamazoo and drive down to avoid it. I've always wondered why they can't so something as simple as a stop sign, like much of the Detroit area has, as someone previously mentioned.
Assuming it actually would work...people seem slow to adapt to traffic changes I'm noticing. I passed through the intersection of Mt. Hope and MLK several times a day and I can't tell you how many people refused to adapt to the new right turn only lane to go north on MLK, despite the many, flagged signs!
MDOT is seeking a waiver of the city's noise ordinance to speed up work on the rehab of MLK all the way from Pleasant Grove Road to the JAIL railroad tracks just south of Victor Avenue. The city council agenda reads that they'll be doing a "an asphalt inlay of the outside two lanes and a single course mill and overlay of the inside three lanes," which I'm not 100% sure of what that means. I guess "inlay" is confusing me, as it just sounds like they are repaving the outer lanes (maybe?) and then reconstructing the surface of the inside three? Which strikes me as unusual since it's usually the outer lanes on a street which need the most work. In any case, I think the oustside lanes are concrete and the inner lanes are overlain with asphalt.
Anyway, we're finding out MDOT is redoing a huge stretch of the avenue this year.
I think on MKL the two outside lanes of the five are in very bad shape and need more extensive repair, they also seem to have cement pavements that are different than the three inside lanes which seem to have asphalt pavements. Mich just noted that! These lanes are bad all the way from the tracks south to the city limits.
At the lane drop on Mt Hope and MLK, I think there needs to be a traffic island that creates a must turn right lane, and blocks traffic from going straight through. I wonder if they are going to reconfigure the lanes as they did from MLK west when they finish the sewer project? I think it is confusing to go from two with a left turn lane then four then back to two.
On another transit subject, today I noticed new locomotives on the Amtrak Blue Water train! I do not know if this is a permanent change but they looked pretty cool, like a 21st Century train! I wonder how long they used the old locomotives, it seems like at least 20 years. The train still looks to have passenger cars of three different ages.
Anything they can do to make 127 safer in the Grand River/Saginaw area is welcome. I often turn off at Round Lake Road and take Wood Road back into the city, it is a very pretty and peaceful way to avoid that whole section of 127 when coming south from my cabin up in Hale.