State road officials saythe US-23 Flex Route in Livingston and Washtenaw counties has eased congestion, but also created some problems,including an uptick in crashes on the northbound side and issues where the route ends near M-36 in Green Oak Township.
Nonetheless, the Michigan Department of Transportation will extend the flex route to Interstate 96 near Brighton.
More than $150 million inconstruction will extend the flex route, an experiment in traffic managementthat allowsmotorists to drive on the left-hand shoulders on the southbound side during morningrush hour and the northbound side during evening rush hour and other times when congestion is high.
The project will also involve revamping interchanges, along with other related improvements, including new roundabouts.
In November 2017, MDOTlaunched the US-23Flex Route on nearly nine miles of the highwaybetween M-14 near Ann Arbor north to M-36.
It features overhead signswhich alert motorists to when the third flex lane is open and traffic conditions ahead such as crashes and suggested speeds.Construction of the flex route waspart of a $92 million revampof US-23 between M-14 and Silver Lake Road south of Brighton, which also included replacing overpasses, building new roundabouts, upgrading ramps and fixing pavement.
Officials told participants of a Monday virtual public meeting the extension is expected to help reduce crashes and improve congestion along the whole route.
MDOT officials said a major issue is thatcrashes are up in the northbound direction in the afternoon.There has been aconcentration of crashes at M-36 when the flex route ends and the highway goes back down to two lanes.
RELATED:MDOT extending U.S. 23 Flex Route north to Brighton, seeks public input
"Because of the endpoint at M-36, the biggest benefit of the extension will be the northbound direction in the afternoon," MDOT regional planner Kari Martin said
Referencing crash data from 2015-2019, Martin said the northbound side saw 228 crasheson average a year, while southbound saw fewer, 99 crashes.
"Not surprisingly, we also found that a high percentage of these crashes were rear-end crashes, which are typically tied to various forms of congestion," she said.
Roundabouts, other options considered
MDOT officials areconsidering installing three new roundabouts at M-36, one at Whitmore Lake Road and two at the north and southbound ramps, according to preliminary design illustrations.
Two new options for the Silver Lake Road interchange are under consideration, one being two roundabouts at Whitmore Lake Road and Fieldcrest Drive. Officials are also looking into the viability of installing a traffic light over the highway.
By 2045, US-23 in Livingston County is predicted to see an increase in traffic.
In November, before COVID-19 shutdowns reduced travel, MDOT planners took traffic counts and reviewed data predicting regional traffic forecastingby theSoutheast Michigan Council of Governments.
They calculated a 0.5% increase in traffic, especially at interchanges, in 25 years.
"This is higher than the rest of the region, which is one of the reasons MDOT is looking at this corridor for doing some improvements," MDOT consultant Sarah Binkowski, with HNBT,said. "While we are seeing some congestion right now in 2020, we expect there to be even more congestion in 2045, especially at the interchanges where we'll see some of the traffic backing up, specifically at the Silver Lake Road interchange."
Binkowski said she expects to see more congestion between near M-36 andthe Lee Road the I-96 interchanges.
The extension of the flex route, which MDOT anticipates starting in 2023 and finishing in the fall of 2024, would be about seven miles north of where it currently ends near M-36.
"With its measurable success, MDOT began looking for ways to move phase 2 forward to further improve corridor operations and safety, which is to continue the flex route," Martin said.
Points of confusion
In gathering public feedback about how well the existing flex route is functioning, MDOT identified concerns officials plan to address when the route is extended.
"Probably the biggest confusion they indicated was that they were confused about theviable speeds and they wanted more clarification on what those speeds were really supposed to mean," Palmer said.
While the speed limit is 70 mph, overhead electronic signs can show suggested speeds, like 60 mph, meant to keep traffic flowing efficiently.
She said based on feedback from focus groups, changes will be coming to the way suggested speeds are advertised by electronic signs over the highway. She did not say what those changes might be.
The flex routeis the first of its kind in the state.
Next year, MDOT is expected to start construction of a flex route along I-96 between Kent Lake Road in Lyon Townshipand I-275/I-696 nearNovi.
ContactLivingston Daily reporterJennifer Timar at 517-548-7148 or at jtimar@livingstondaily.com.Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @jennifer_timar.
