Top 20: What are the busiest roads in Washtenaw County?
Earlier this week, we brought you a list of the most crash-prone intersections in Washtenaw County.
It generated a good conversation about why those intersections made the list. Several commenters wondered whether Carpenter Road and Packard Street was at the top because of the volume of traffic in that area.
So today, we'll offer the Top 20 busiest road segments from the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study traffic count database.
According to WATS, the road counts are 24-hour, two-way counts; highways are measured separately and are not included in the counts.
Busiest segments of road, jurisdiction and 24-hour traffic count
- Washtenaw Avenue between Carpenter and US-23 in Pittsfield Township: 55,549
- State Street between Victors and I-94 in Ann Arbor: 48,732
- State Street between Victors and Eisenhower Parkway in Ann Arbor: 43,651
- State Street between I-94 and Ellsworth Road in Ann Arbor: 39,338
- Washtenaw Avenue between Stadium and Platt Road in Ann Arbor: 39,072
- Hamilton Street between Harriet Street and I-94 in Ypsilanti: 38,927
- Washtenaw Avenue at the US-23 overpass in Pittsfield Township: 35,910
- Ann Arbor-Saline Road between Waters and I-94 in Pittsfield Township: 34,963
- Plymouth Road between Commonwealth and Huron Pkwy. in Ann Arbor: 33,766
- Huron Street between Fletcher and Glen in Ann Arbor: 33,655
- Michigan Avenue between Huron/M-17 and River Street in Ypsilanti: 33,537
- US-12/M-17 between Onondaga and Dorset in Ypsilanti Township: 33,429
- State Street between Ellsworth and Research Park in Ann Arbor: 33,004
- Packard Street between Easy and Platt Road in Ann Arbor: 32,792
- Eisenhower Parkway between Boardwalk and State in Ann Arbor: 32,533
- Washtenaw between Carpenter and Golfside in Ypsilanti Township: 32,079
- Michigan Avenue between Austin and Marion Road in Saline Township: 31,881
- Plymouth Road between Commonwealth and Green Road in Ann Arbor: 31,807
- Packard Street between Fernwood and US-23 in Ann Arbor: 30,909
- Jackson Avenue between Maple and Wagner Road in Ann Arbor: 29,965
Not surprisingly, the figures show the peak times for most of those roads are during the afternoon rush hour - from 4 to 6 p.m. The only one on the top 20 to see its busiest one-hour period in the morning is Plymouth Road between Commonwealth and Green, which sees its peak at 7 a.m., WATS figures show.
Comments
Rod Johnson
Sun, Aug 30, 2009 : 2:05 p.m.
The Road Commission isn't shelling out that money--it's a package that was primarily put together by the Scio DDA, I believe (yes, we have a "downtown"). If I remember right,most of the funding is state and federal. Having Jackson as a boulevard is a central element of Scio's master plan. It's not about traffic, it's about encouraging growth while containing development (on the question of whether it's a *wise* plan, opinions differ).
KJMClark
Sat, Aug 29, 2009 : 2:01 p.m.
Hmm... Notice that the only section of Jackson mentioned here is from Maple to Wagner, and it's number 20 on the list. So why is the Road Commission shelling out so much money to widen the rest of Jackson to a four-lane boulevard? Seems like there are much more valuable places we could have put the money.
Ed Verhamme
Sat, Aug 29, 2009 : 8:45 a.m.
The busiest two lane road on the list (I believe) is #13 (State Road south of Ellsworth). No shoulder...speed limit of 45mph.. How do you expect bikers to navigate this stretch of road?
Ed Verhamme
Sat, Aug 29, 2009 : 8:42 a.m.
These roads are the busiest and WORST for non-motorized transportation. If Washtenaw County/Ann Arbor want to spend some stimulus money they should focus on improving non-motorized transportation along these busy corridors. This should be top priority! Forget spending money on parking when you can decrease the number of cars through improved non-motorized transportation.
sellers
Fri, Aug 28, 2009 : 4:50 p.m.
I find it interesting that US12/MiAve SW of Saline is busier than US12 on the NE side of Saline/S Side of Ann Arbor. I suppose it matters when the traffic counts were taken.
Macabre Sunset
Fri, Aug 28, 2009 : 12:51 p.m.
What's interesting is that these are all, with the exception of #10 near the hospital, on the outskirts of town. I wonder if that's the case with other cities of this size, or if it's more the result of Brater's purge of downtown retail during her reign. I agree with redeye, this is the type of story that's ideal for a blog of this new variety you're trying.
Eric P
Fri, Aug 28, 2009 : 11:41 a.m.
It would be interesting to put this list next to a list of the roadways most in need to repair/resurfacing.
redeye
Fri, Aug 28, 2009 : 11:39 a.m.
I really appreciate this article. And I think being "agents for their readers' curiosity" is an excellent model for newspapers trying to adapt and survive in these difficult times.
texorama
Fri, Aug 28, 2009 : 11:11 a.m.
In No. 19, that's Fernwood, not Ferwood. Interesting list, though.
Sally
Fri, Aug 28, 2009 : 10:37 a.m.
Oops for the copy editor..."it's" should be "its" twice in the final paragraph!