Miller Avenue reconstruction: $6.5M project in Ann Arbor starts next week
Major road construction on Miller Avenue, one of Ann Arbor's major east-west thoroughfares, is scheduled to begin next Monday and could last through November.
The $6.5 million project entails complete reconstruction between Maple and Newport roads, improved bicycle lanes, pedestrian crossings with raised islands, and left-turn lanes to improve traffic flow.
Also planned are new sidewalks in areas where none exist, new sidewalk ramps and concrete bus stop pads to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, other basic sidewalk repairs, stormwater improvements that include larger storm sewer pipes to allow for detention, bioswales, rain gardens, and utility work that replaces a water main and a portion of the sanitary sewer.
This crumbling stretch of Miller Avenue is next on the city's list of major road reconstruction projects.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Here are the details:
In the first stage, traffic will be maintained along the south side of Miller Avenue while work occurs on the northerly portion of the roadway.
Initially, the eastbound traffic lane will be maintained for vehicles traveling into the city. Vehicles traveling out of the city in the westbound direction will be detoured on an interim basis via Main Street, Huron Street/Jackson Avenue and Maple Road until late April or early May.
At that time, traffic will be switched to allow for two-way traffic with one lane operating in each direction.
Eastbound traffic will be shifted onto the new temporary pavement along the southernmost portion of the roadway. That will be maintained as a single traffic lane for vehicles traveling into the city.
Westbound traffic will be shifted onto an area directly adjacent to the new temporary pavement that was previously used for eastbound travel. That area will be maintained as a single traffic lane for vehicles traveling out of the city.
That traffic control scenario will remain in place until work on the north half of the roadway is complete and most of the new pavement has been placed.
In the second stage, from July through November, work will occur on the south half of the roadway, and only one-way traffic in the eastbound direction will be permitted.
Vehicles traveling into the city will be shifted onto the new and mostly complete north half of the roadway. A single traffic lane will be maintained for vehicles traveling into the city.
Vehicles traveling out of the city in the westbound direction will again be detoured via Main Street, Huron Street/Jackson Avenue and Maple Road. That traffic control scenario will remain in place until work on the south half of the roadway is complete.
Dexter Avenue, another major east-west thoroughfare in Ann Arbor, was reconstructed last year as part of a $4.6 million project that still has the road looking fresh and new.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
City officials caution there will be times when work will be occurring in the Miller Avenue/Newport Road intersection and motorists desiring to travel north on Newport Road from Miller Avenue will have to use an alternate route. Northbound Newport Road traffic will be detoured via Brooks Street and Sunset Road during certain stages of construction.
Southbound Newport Road traffic is planned to be maintained through the Miller Avenue intersection for the duration of the project.
Access for emergency vehicles and to driveways and side streets will be maintained to the full extent possible, city officials said. Pedestrian traffic also will be maintained.
The contractor on the project is Hoffman Brothers Inc.
The Ann Arbor City Council voted last month to approve a contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation in order to receive federal funding for the project.
The Federal Highway Administration is expected to allocate Surface Transportation Program funds in the amount of $1.5 million, with another $5 million coming from city funding sources.
That includes $2.6 million from the city's street repair millage, $1.2 million from the city's stormwater fund, $980,628 from the city's water fund, and $161,104 from the city's sewer fund, plus nearly $50,000 coming from the city's information technology budget.
A project webpage will be maintained and updated weekly and can be found by going to the city's road construction website at www.a2gov.org, where other projects happening this year are listed.
Other roadwork ahead: State Street, Barton Drive among Ann Arbor streets to get $3.6M facelift
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
Comments
Ann English
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 10:49 p.m.
The work on Miller isn't going to affect the Water Hill Music Festival next month. Perhaps some people make time to come and see it using its roads because they can't use northbound Newport. Brooks is the western border of Water Hill, Miller the southern border.
tooldtocare
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 8:30 p.m.
Great news....I always wondered why they put manhole covers in the path that tires hit instead of the middle of the lane?? And does the city monitor contractors who later have to open up the roads to do a water or sewer hook up repair and then do a lousy job of spilling cold patch into the opening without and type of attempt at rolling out the cold patch....which always becomes a "speed bump/pot hole?? Just random thoughts of common sense........
thinker
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 9:04 p.m.
That applies- the cold patch, never to be replaced-in all our neighborhoods after our own expensive sewer repairs. Does the city ever check up the companies that leave a mess, or even DTE who left a really big mess on Robin?
KINGofSKA
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 7:33 p.m.
When are they going to pave the other portion of Huron River drive that leads to North Main?!
Cameron McLain
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 7:30 p.m.
Could we get Carpenter road some help? Please? Specifically between packard and washtenaw? Its gonna start eating cars.
Michael
Thu, Apr 4, 2013 : 4:48 a.m.
This section of Carpenter is slated to be reconstructed next year. Hopefully they'll put the utility lines underground while they're at it as well. It's so ugly to drive that section and see all those ugly poles leaning every which way.
Ann English
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 10:41 p.m.
I know, those right lanes are eroding away. You'd think that roads nearest an expressway would be a priority to maintain.
easy123
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 4:17 p.m.
Miller st became a major artery to the "suburbs- ie Dexter- Chelsea" of A2 in th elast 20 years. Heaven help you if you tried to turn left or right on miller during rush hours. Even during off hours, the cars raced up and down the street. I felt sorry for the kids trying to cross Miller going to Forsythe, my kids would dread the street. I know the commuters could care less, however this is a neighborhood, The lifestyle and needs of the neighbor superseeds the 1 minute passing of a commuter who could care less who live in the neighborhood. The folks who use Miller only to get to and from for their jobs, should be placed at the lower end of the priority list. This is not a race track. Brooks should be not an alternate route. There are too many kids around. The impatiant drivers are going to get a rude awakening. If someone wishes to live in the "suburbs", their inconvenience should not adversely affect the lifesyle of the residents living in the commuting area. I guess the suburbanites wish to live away is same reason why the residents would like to slow down Miller.
Michael
Thu, Apr 4, 2013 : 4:26 a.m.
Very well said! This is my point so many times on these articles. It seems that many commenters are from the AA suburbs, and their primary concern is how fast they can drive into and out of Ann Arbor. They completely ignore the local culture and the pedestrians that come with it. They view pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders as a nuisance and despise any attempt to make the roadway safer for all modes of transportation (ie traffic islands, roundabouts, lower speed limits, etc.)
JB SHOOTER
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 3:46 p.m.
This should be called "road improvement". It is not needed, but I am thinking this might be one of those gateways to the city that people have talked about. A nice way for people to come into AA.
Jack
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 7:28 p.m.
JB - You gotta be kidding. I had to use that route daily and was constantly having to replace my tires.
jcj
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 5:55 p.m.
JB WHAT! How many decades ago did you last travel this route?
5c0++ H4d13y
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 3:58 p.m.
Not needed? Are you kidding me? I drive, bike, motorcycle and walk down Miller. IT'S NEEDED!
Peter
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 2:11 p.m.
A map would be nice showing the construction zone.
Ryan J. Stanton
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 2:25 p.m.
I provided a link to the maps, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to also embed one of the maps so I just did that as well. Hope that helps.
Plubius
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 2:05 p.m.
The cost of building, not repairing, a road is generally taken to be $1M per mile. (Building is far more costly as that involves establishing the road bed, which is not needed when doing repair work.) The length of this repair project is 0.9 miles, thus the cost of the roadwork portion should be on the order of 0.75M (being generous). Why is this project costing so much? Whose pocket is being lined at the expense of the tax payers? Why doesn't AA.com raise these issues?
jcj
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 5:54 p.m.
Plubius Your math skills might be better than your reading comprehension skills.
Bob Needham
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 2:55 p.m.
As the article says, this project is much more than repairing the road -- it involves work on the water main, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, sidewalks and more.
Cedric Richner
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 1:56 p.m.
What happened to the roundabout at Newport/Miller? Having one would have really improved traffic flow- particularly during school pick-up/drop off time.
Joe
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 10:15 p.m.
Residents were polled at several public meetings and the roundabout option received overwhelming support. The roundabout plan would involve the city purchasing a small slice of property from homeowners on the corner of Miller and Newport. Most agreed, but one homeowner resisted and threatened to call her lawyer. Even though the law of eminent domain allows the city to secure the property, the project manager chose not to pursue the matter. The city effectively caved, so now we won't have a roundabout.
jcj
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 5:53 p.m.
Dropped not enough room.
Thoughtful
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 1:21 p.m.
About flipping time!
Hmm
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 12:33 p.m.
Comments section is all messed up today
jcj
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 12:28 p.m.
Ryan Sounds like buses leaving Wines and Forsythe going west will have to go east on Miller to 7th then west .Or North on Newport around to Maple. Can you get some info on bus route changes
Ryan J. Stanton
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 1:07 p.m.
I'm checking with both AATA and AAPS
jcj
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 12:28 p.m.
School buses.
Neal Elyakin
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 12:04 p.m.
Ryan, how will they detour/adjust the bus lines running along Miller during the construction?
Ryan J. Stanton
Thu, Apr 4, 2013 : 12:33 a.m.
I wasn't able to get anything from AAPS, but I hope they're at least communicating with affected families. As for AATA service, I'm told the project was not expected to affect AATA service until phase 2. According to a flier from AATA, it looks like routes 12A and 18 will be detoured, though I'm not sure when (I'm having trouble getting the flier to download correctly). I'm told notices have been posted at affected stops along the route. Here's the flier: http://www.theride.org/pdfs_updates/040813MillerRd.pdf
Ryan J. Stanton
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 1:06 p.m.
I'm checking with both AATA and AAPS
Ryan J. Stanton
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 11:51 a.m.
Here are some maps of the detour routes and traffic control measures: http://www.annarbor.com/Miller_detour_routes_2013.pdf
MIke48162
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 11:42 a.m.
Wish as originally designed we were getting a roundabout at the Miller/Newport intersection. That would have been safer and faster for all!
Joe
Thu, Apr 4, 2013 : 1:45 p.m.
Residents were polled at several public meetings and the roundabout option received overwhelming support. The roundabout plan would involve the city purchasing a small slice of property from homeowners on the corner of Miller and Newport. Most agreed, but one homeowner resisted and threatened to call her lawyer. Even though the law of eminent domain allows the city to secure the property, the project manager chose not to pursue the matter. The city effectively caved, so now we won't have a roundabout.
Michael
Thu, Apr 4, 2013 : 4:21 a.m.
If properly designed, roundabouts can be very pedestrian friendly. I've seen many very well designed ones outside of Michigan. Since Michigan is so auto-oriented, we often only see car-focused roundabouts. However, if anyplace were to make them correctly, I would assume it would be Ann Arbor.
5c0++ H4d13y
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 1:51 p.m.
I'm not sure I agree. Pedestrians may actually be at a disadvantage wrt a roundabout.
thinker
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 11:31 a.m.
Miller road is already just 2 lanes. How are they going to fit all this stuff in: raised pedestrian islands, bicycle lanes. sidewalks etc?
Tom
Thu, Apr 4, 2013 : 12:45 a.m.
Property owners along certain sections of Miller have opted for rain gardens in place of on-street parking, so some areas will lose parking.
aabikes
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 1:55 p.m.
good question.
thinker
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 1:39 p.m.
@aabikes-does that mean there will no longer be parking there?
aabikes
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 12:35 p.m.
There is a parking lane on either side and bike lanes. Right now. Meaning it's basically ~4ish lanes. Check it out on google street view.
Ryan J. Stanton
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 12:05 p.m.
I haven't seen the engineering drawings that show how the pedestrian islands will fit or where they'll be located, but I've requested them. If I get them, I'll post a link here.
kilroy
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 10:58 a.m.
Why the raised pedestrian islands? The raised pedestrian islands on Liberty were a bad idea as they are stopping points for AATA buses which hold up traffic. Why is it necessary to use a pedestrian island on a 2 lane road at all? They were designed to help pedestrians cross busy 4 lane roads like Plymouth Road where they work well.
Michael
Thu, Apr 4, 2013 : 4:19 a.m.
Are you people not from Ann Arbor? Traffic islands are absolutely necessary! Where do you possibly need to be that you must get there 1-2 minutes later than you would without these "obstacles"? This is the problem with society when they think that everyone should get out of the way of their car. Well guess what, in places like Ann Arbor, that type of mentality is not prevalent, so for commuters from outside the area, you're going to have to start getting used to it, or stop driving in Ann Arbor if you don't like waiting.
Tom
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 11:37 p.m.
Unless you have attempted crossing Miller as a pedestrian during rush hour, you have no place to say whether or not pedestrian islands are needed. Hint: they absolutely are.
Barb
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 6:15 p.m.
Yes, let's not hold up traffic for the safety of people using mass transit or pedestrians. That's just crazy talk!
MRunner73
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 4:28 p.m.
Absolutely correct re raised pedestrian islands. FYI: the same "bad idea" is in place on South Main at Oakbrook. That is especially bad for those turning left onto Briarcrest Drive, SB on Main. That is only a three lane road (which used to 4 lanes). Between all of the roundabouts and pedestrian crossings added in the past 5 or so years is amazing.
Barzoom
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 10:49 a.m.
Amazing! Some of our taxes are being spent on a useful project that will benefit the people of the city.
Joe Hood
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 6 p.m.
Ellis: The art is a smooth road; Seems like road construction should be a science however.
Ellis Sams
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 1:18 p.m.
Has any money for "public art" been "baked into" the funding for this project?
Bcar
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 10:34 a.m.
about darn time!! Miller is more like an ox cart path as it is... But why-o-why does it take 7-8 months to pave 2 miles or road... that is a joke... oh, and why are we building islands like on Liberty? we dont need no stinking islands! ;) wonder how much more that costs... not happy about traffic being routed on brooks eithier. its not very wide and has many speed humps and kids playing there all the time.
Michael
Thu, Apr 4, 2013 : 4:14 a.m.
Traffic islands are used for pedestrian safety to cross the roadway. This is Ann Arbor, a progressive city that cares about all aspects of transportation, not just the automobile. If you don't like that, don't drive through Ann Arbor. I give them props for taking this into consideration when reconstructing roadways. All municipalities should think about all modes of transportation when constructing roads!
Mick52
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 4:46 p.m.
I don't mind the time it takes to get it done, especially if it is done well (ha, ha). What I do not get is why it takes so long to begin. This should have been done a year ago. It a horrible stretch of road way.
Bob Needham
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 2:28 p.m.
This involves a lot more than just repaving -- work on the water main, storm sewer and sanitary sewer, along with sidewalks, etc. Sounds like quite an involved project.
5c0++ H4d13y
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 1:50 p.m.
When they were working on Miller by the RR Tracks I noticed that the road bed is brick on soil. IDK if that is true between newport and maple but suffice to say they need to take that road down to soil and start over.
jcj
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 12:15 p.m.
Bcar But why-o-why does it take 7-8 months to pave 2 miles or road... that is a joke... Ever work in construction? You did catch that they are doing sewer work right? If it were just paving they could be done in a month assuming they were going to do milling. I agree the islands are not needed.
Bob W
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 : 10:20 a.m.
Yea!!