A grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation may help Royal Oak and neighboring cities make a number of changes, including road diets, along the 11 Mile Road corridor from Stephenson Highway to Greenfield Road in the next several years.
The other cities include Huntington Woods, Berkley and Oak Park.
Royal Oak City Manager Paul Brake said staff is seeking approval from city commissioners Monday for the city to take part in a federal pilot program aimed at reconnecting communities.
This brings the communities together and would help us promote a safer (11 Mile Road) for motor vehicles, pedestrians and non-motorized transportation, Brake said. It enables us to design cities around people and not cars.
A key premise of the project is to analyze the possibility of road diets on 11 Mile Road and Coolidge Highway.
In Royal Oak that could include bike lanes east of Woodward to allow riders from the other communities to wheel into Royal Oaks downtown, Brake said.
Other features for the communities involved could also include enhanced crosswalks, permeable pavers, bioswales, more lighting and a few added traffic signals.
With the communities joining together it shows this is a priority for our region, Brake said.
The city is working with a consultant engineer and the pilot grant, if it happens, would cover the first phase of work.
Still, the city is set to proceed with a budgeted resurfacing of 11 Mile Road in 2024-25 from Main Street to Campbell Road. Other stretches of the road are planned to follow in the three subsequent years.
Funds have also been earmarked to have a gateway project on 11 Mile just west of I-75 for those entering the city.
Royal Oaks traffic committee has already been looking at 11 Mile Road for lane conversions that might include implementing a left-hand turn lane. A traffic study that was done shows 11 Mile averages about 14,000 motor vehicles a day.
A left turn lane would be safer, Brake said. That means the roadway would be reduced to one lane in each direction instead of two.
The city traffic study showed that between 2016 to 2020 there were 568 crashes on 11 Mile in Royal Oak, with 140 of them resulting in injuries.
At this point its unclear how many changes will be made along the roadway by all four cities seeking the federal pilot grant.
Oak Park City Manager Erik Tungate said officials there have yet to consider what changes it would make to the section of 11 mile that runs through the city from Coolidge to Greenfield.
A traffic study will have to be done to meet the needs of the pedestrians as well as the vehicular traffic coming through here, Tungate said.
Having the four cities collaborate in the pilot grant program will allow them to coordinate quality-of-life investments, from road changes to public seating, lighting and other features, Tungate said.
Its not often (multi-city) partnerships like this have been fulfilled, he said. Were excited to work with the other cities and this fits with other improvements were making in Oak Park.
Several restaurants and two breweries have located on 11 Mile in Oak Park in recent years.
Improving the road among the four cities will make them each part of a larger seamless district, Tungate said.
Weve got some momentum building and seized this opportunity to build more momentum in Oak Park, he said.
Madison Heights woman recognized for piloting world record flight
Im ashamed and embarrassed: Waterford man sentenced to four years for role in Whitmer kidnap plot
Man enters plea on day 2 of murder trial
South I-75 exit, entrance ramps to close at 11 Mile in Royal Oak
Read the original here:
Royal Oak, 3 other cities join to seek grant for 11 Mile Road changes - Oakland Press
