June 21—TRAVERSE CITY — The massive rebuild of Grandview Parkway in downtown Traverse City is about a week ahead of schedule, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Sources said westbound traffic from Garfield Avenue could begin as early as Thursday evening, June 20, but could be delayed for a few days due to rain in the area.
“We need a dry surface to apply the road markings,” says Nick Broad, project manager for Team Elmer’s. “Moisture affects the paint’s adhesion to the pavement, so we’re hoping the rain stops soon. Our paint trucks are all ready, but ultimately God is still in charge of the weather.”
Once the westbound lane is open, motorists will be able to travel in both directions on the existing Grandview Parkway as before. Road construction will then be interrupted for the National Cherry Festival, which runs from June 29 to July 6.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
Construction of the Parkway will resume on Monday, July 8, when work crews will begin replacing the Parkway’s old pavement in two main phases:
First, one side of the shared highway will be open while the other side is closed. Work will then continue to the other side until the overall project at the intersection with Division Avenue is completed.
Two-way traffic on Grandview Parkway will continue on the north or south side, albeit with only one lane in each direction. No vehicle types will be restricted, MDOT officials said.
The expected completion date for the $24.7 million full parkway rebuild is November 2024.
“It’s definitely a good feeling to complete this segment before our deadline,” said Lucas Porath, an MDOT cost and schedule engineer. “We have had a great collaboration from the city, the road commission and local businesses.”
Once westbound traffic resumes, some new road features will become visible, including a small center island just west of Peninsula Drive. Shaped like an elongated seed pod, it will serve as a “pedestrian refuge” for people walking along the roadway.
Motorists will also notice a new protected left turn onto Peninsula Drive, a feature many motorists have requested for years to help alleviate traffic bottlenecks.
The existing traffic signals at the intersection of East Front Street and Grandview Parkway will remain in place until new cross arms and updated signals on large metal “poles” are installed there.
Ultimately, the intersection will function more like a traditional “T” intersection than the current hybrid model that allows a continuous left turn for westbound vehicles onto the Parkway.
NEW SIGNALING TECHNOLOGY
To improve traffic flow, MDOT is implementing a new software-based system called “SCOOT” on state highways in the area.
SCOOT stands for ‘Split Cycle Offset Optimization Technique’. The entire US 31 signal system from Acme to Greilickville and Grandview Parkway to South Airport Road is now connected and coordinated by the interactive system, which dynamically responds to changes in traffic volume, officials said.
“SCOOT continuously monitors traffic volumes and progress and then makes immediate adjustments based on changes in traffic,” Porath said. “Our MDOT transportation engineers (also) monitor SCOOT performance and make adjustments as necessary to ensure the best overall system progress.”
“You may find yourself waiting at a red light for a few extra seconds with no traffic on the side streets because of what’s happening with traffic in other parts of the corridor,” he said.
SCOOT systems were developed by German technology giant Siemens AG in collaboration with several government agencies and are now installed in more than 200 locations worldwide.
SCOOT’s impact on traffic flow is quite positive, according to a study published by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
For example, StreetLight Data conducted a SCOOT traffic study along the Ellsworth Corridor in Ann Arbor, a two-mile stretch south of the University of Michigan South Campus and Michigan Stadium.
After the SCOOT system was installed, drivers saw an average 21 percent savings in end-to-end travel times on weekends, and a 12 percent savings on weekdays.
