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Jun 5

Marysville to consider ‘road diet’ for Huron Blvd. – Port Huron Times Herald

One of the 300 semis that travel every day to and from the Daimler Chrysler plant in Marysville drives along Huron Boulevard.(Photo: Times Herald.)Buy Photo

Marysvilles Huron Boulevard could look a little different after its reconstruction begins next year, and officials hope the change will calm the roadways traffic.

The city is planning a three-phase rebuild of the roadway between M-29 andGratiot Boulevard at a cost of roughly $1.8 million. Construction is expected to start in 2018 and last two years.

The project, however, would not only reconstruct the road, as announced earlier this year, but also change its layout. Officials said the adjustment comes after the engineering firm hired to design the project surveyed the road and traffic volumes this spring.

Vehicles travel along Huron Boulevard Friday, June 2, 2017 in Marysville. The city is planning a three-phase rebuild of the roadway between M-29 and Gratiot Boulevard, reducing it from a four-lane road to one lane in each direction with a center left turn lane.(Photo: JEFFREY M. SMITH, TIMES HERALD)

Huron Boulevardis currently a four-lane road with two lanes heading each way. Barry Kreiner, Marysvilles director of public services, said after construction it will bethree lanes one travel lane in each direction and a left-turn lane down the middle. Intersections would get right-turn lanes.

Its a safety factor. Theres a lot of activity around the schools. Thats one of the main concerns, Kreiner said, pointing tothe area near Marysville High School. Its safety for kids. A lot of people come across 14thStreet and try to zip across four lanes into school parking lots. There are accidents there.

Marysville planning to rebuild Huron Blvd.

Federal funds will pay for 75 percent of the work, and with each year, a different section will be reconstructed.

City Manager Randy Fernandez said the change likely is more cost effective, but safety trumps that.

Patrick Phelan, of firm BMJ Engineers and Surveyors, previously explained the study of the roadway to the City Council. He called the new design a road diet, that would calm traffic by encouraging lower speeds.

Huron Boulevard has a traffic count of more than 4,000 vehicles a day,according to the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments. The roadway between Gratiot and Michigan also sees an average of four crashes a year.

Vehicles travel along Huron Boulevard Friday, June 2, 2017 in Marysville. The city is planning a three-phase rebuild of the roadway between M-29 and Gratiot Boulevard, reducing it from a four-lane road to one lane in each direction with a center left turn lane.(Photo: JEFFREY M. SMITH, TIMES HERALD)

Kreiner said engineers still have to turn their designs into the state for approval. For road diets to work, he said roadways have to carry 20,000 or fewer vehicles daily.

The only thing is if youre around 15,000, they require you to do an extra study just to support what youre proposing, but were so far below, we dont have to do that, he said.

Kreiner, also a member of the Marysville school board, said the city has met with some school officials, who support the measure. He said the full board will also get the BMJ presentation at its June meeting.

Additionally, now that council members have had a chance to ask questions, Fernandez said planning commissioners will too.

They will also hear about this proposal in case they want to weigh in, he said. One action item to approve or disapprove. We dont need to get their approval, but its just us doing our due diligence to include as many partners as we can in the process.

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.

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Marysville to consider 'road diet' for Huron Blvd. - Port Huron Times Herald

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