Detours on Pontiac Trail in Ann Arbor start Thursday
The city of Ann Arbor has released this map of the upcoming detours.
City of Ann Arbor
The city announced a temporary traffic control plan that will be effective on Pontiac Trail from Amherst to Northside on Aug. 29-30, Sept. 3, and Sept.8, weather permitting.
As part of the Barton Drive resurfacing project, the intersection of Pontiac Trail/Barton Drive will be repaired and repaved.
Pontiac Trail will be closed to through traffic. The detour route for both northbound and southbound traffic will use Northside, Chandler, and Amherst.
Local access for vehicular traffic and pedestrian traffic will be maintained.
As a safety precaution, city officials ask motorist to please reduce speeds and drive cautiously through work zones.
Barton Drive is being resurfaced between Pontiac Trail and Plymouth Road as part of the city's annual street resurfacing program. Since the work started in July, eastbound traffic has been maintained, while westbound traffic has been detoured.
The city also has been studying the possibility of adding a sidewalk along the south side of Barton Drive from west of Chandler Road to Longshore Drive.
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
teacherfriend
Thu, Aug 29, 2013 : 2:07 p.m.
I look forward to the repaving of Barton and Can put up with the bother for a 4 days. I do wonder about the wisdom of doing this on the first day of school, September 3.
stihl1
Thu, Aug 29, 2013 : 2:40 a.m.
Why not just shut down every street in town?
kuriooo
Thu, Aug 29, 2013 : 1:08 a.m.
Gee people, lots of negativity. I'm just glad to get this nasty intersection redone, even if it takes some inconvenience. I do empathize with the folks on Northside and think speed bumps would be a good idea for the future...
Armchair Boogie
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 7:02 p.m.
The only thing missing from the city's plan to divert traffic is a booth on Chandler or Northside where they can hand out shirts to pedestrians and cyclists with targets and point values painted on them. The re-route starts tomorrow. Where are the signs alerting pedestrians and cyclists of the danger of using Chandler or Northside? Chandler's sidewalks are always crowded with families that use the street to access the park. Northside doesn't even have sidewalks, so peds and bikes have to use the street surface to avoid the cars parked along the street. There's also a blind corner where Nside meets Barton and families w young kids up and down both streets. With the high volume of pedestrian and bike traffic that use Northside to access the boardwalk and bus stop, people already take their lives in their hands on this street.
KJMClark
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 3:25 p.m.
It's too bad while they're working on it, they didn't re-align Chandler to meet Barton at a right angle. The city did a milquetoast job of that same thing on Starwick a few years ago. They also added speed bumps, though, which really helped. That would have been a fair trade for the residents on Chandler - we're going to increase the traffic on your street for a few days, but make it harder for cut-through commuters to plague you in the future.
My2bits
Thu, Aug 29, 2013 : 7:37 p.m.
The city IS considering sidewalks along Barton up to the boardwalk. I personally talked to Sabra Briere about this a couple of times and progress IS being made. She is not only the hardest working person on council, but also really does pay attention to her constituents. The negative commentary is misplaced.
DJBudSonic
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 4:40 p.m.
KJMClark, ask Jeff Hayner about that, he had a posting on Nextdoor suggesting that very thing. It took petitioning the city to get that connecting sidewalk gap east of the boardwalk initiated, many years after the boardwalk was put in, and many years after we neighbors had been asking for it to no avail. And even now, it is just a 'study'. Sounds like he is down on speed bumps, but for the reworking of that intersection. Why should we care? Because if he gets elected to City Council this November something might get done about it. Foobar417 at the neighborhood meeting about the sidewalk gap Ms. Briere informed us that they weren't going to do the sidewalk until the paving that side of Barton was done, which is scheduled for 2017 I think...a cost savings decision... Even though they are working right there, right now!?
foobar417
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 3:37 p.m.
Good idea, but they are not repaving Barton west of Pontiac Trail at this time. (I think it is 3-5 years out.)
social conscience
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 2:25 p.m.
Yes, a few will endure a short term inconvenience for the benefit of many in the long term.
justcurious
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 1:38 p.m.
The people on Chandler will absolutely love all of that U of M rush hour traffic using their street even more than they do now.
Arboriginal
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 1:25 p.m.
I thought the workers had abandoned this project. Not much going on at all.
foobar417
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 1:18 p.m.
A sidewalk along Barton Road between Chandler Road and Longshore Drive would be much appreciated.
NSider
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 12:56 p.m.
I think closing the Barton Drive off ramp (at least disallowing traffic inbound to AA) would be appropriate. Can you imagine the traffic coming off US23 and heading down Chandler? On the first day of school? Wow, someone didn't think this through at all. Those are ELEMENTARY students at Northside people, and a lot of them cross at the signal or the blinker near Amherst. What a mess.
KJMClark
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 3:22 p.m.
What, you think people aren't zooming down Chandler already? The traffic there has always been a mess - lots of people rushing through neighborhoods without caring a whit about the people who live there. The good thing is August 29th and 30th are about the slowest traffic weekdays of the year. Yeah, September 3rd was bad planning, or a schedule that got pushed back.
Billy
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 1:03 p.m.
Yeah the timing on this is horrible. I wonder if they can install temporary speed bumps/tables while the detour is in effect?
Billy
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 12:36 p.m.
Ooooo....I know those neighborhoods.....those residents are going to be REALLY upset about all that traffic going down their streets... Unfortunately, I don't see any other way to go about doing it there.