Meeting focuses on roundabout plans for U.S. 23/Geddes

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 | Source: Concentrate

The devilish details are about to come out of the roundabouts planned for the U.S. 23 / Geddes Road intersection now that the Michigan Department of Transportation will release the details about the project at a public meeting March 25.

The plans call for three roundabouts for the freeway exit on Ann Arbor's east side. They will replace traffic lights at the on/off-ramps for the exit and the intersection of Geddes and Earhart Road.

Roundabouts, a.k.a. traffic circles, are seen as the most cost-effective way to improve flow and relieve congestion at the intersection without expanding it. The project is also looking at improving the intersection by providing places for pedestrian and bicyclists, while also improving drainage, lighting, utilities and landscaping in the area.

Roundabouts have been popping up like dandelions around Ann Arbor in recent years. A pair of them were installed at the Maple Road exit for M-14 to accommodate increased traffic from nearby Skyline High School. Another is at the intersection of Nixon Road and Huron Parkway.

Modern roundabouts include a central island to guide the vehicular traffic and splitter islands at each leg of an intersection. One-way traffic moves around the central island where entering traffic must yield to the traffic already in the roundabout.

Traffic circles slow and calm traffic, resulting in fewer accidents. They also decrease delays and cut down on the number of idling vehicles, reducing air pollution.

They are common throughout Europe and have been appearing more frequently in North America in recent years. More common on the coasts, roundabouts and traffic circles have been popping up in southeast Michigan's suburbs in recent years.

The meeting will be held between 7 – 9 p.m. in Concordia University's Student Union Riverside Room, 4090 Geddes Road. For information, contact City Project Manager David Dykman at ddykman@a2gov.org or (734) 794-6410, ext 43685.

Source: City of Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke