Signals Installed at Roundabout Site

Spinal Column

By Leslie Shepard-Owsley
July 8, 2009

The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) intends to close Drake Road at both the north and south sides of the Maple/Drake roundabout in West Bloomfield Township on Monday, July 13 to install new pedestrian crosswalk signals that are the first of their kind in the nation.

Work on the project is expected to begin today, Wednesday, July 8, but work prior to July 13 shouldn't impede traffic. Drake Road is expected to remain closed at the roundabout between July 13 and Aug. 14.

The project involves reconfiguring the islands separating the roundabout entrances and exits, as well as adjusting some of the roundabout curbs and installing crosswalk signals.

The signals, known as High-intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) signals are a new form of pedestrian-activated signals and will be placed at all four roundabout entrances. The signals will stop traffic entering and exiting the roundabout to allow pedestrians safe passage. Unlike traditional pedestrian-crosswalk signals, High-intensity Activated Crosswalk signals won't function unless a pedestrian presses a crosswalk button. At that point, there will be a flashing yellow light for motorists, followed by a steady yellow light, warning motorists that the signal is about to turn red. The signal will then switch to a steady red light to stop traffic and allow the pedestrian to cross. At the end of the cycle, the signal will switch to a flashing red, signaling the end of the crossing phase, after which the signal darkens until it is reactivated by a pedestrian.

The High-intensity Activated Crosswalk signals look different than a traditional traffic signal: It consists of three bulbs, but is configured with two bulbs next to each other on top of the third.

The new configuration was proposed by the RCOC after a lawsuit was adjudicated in March 2008. Attorney Richard Bernstein represented three plaintiffs who filed a federal lawsuit in August 2007, claiming the RCOC was building roundabouts that impeded disabled pedestrians from safely crossing busy intersections.

The lawsuit claimed the RCOC was in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, since its road construction specifications omitted stoplights or other mechanisms necessary for those blind or in wheelchairs, and other disabled citizens to safely cross the street.

According to Bryson, the lawsuit succeeded in resolving a problem that warranted action and resulted in the pending implementation of cutting-edge technology for pedestrian safety.

"We shared Bernstein's concerns regarding blind people and those who are disabled crossing roundabouts," Bryson said. "It wasn't an adversarial lawsuit. We suggested trying the HAWK system and Bernstein has been pleased and quite complimentary of the RCOC. We share the view that the most important thing is safety for motorists and all pedestrians, including the blind or handicapped. People are watching around the country because this system is the first of its kind. We still don't know the impact on pedestrians or traffic flow. It will be a pilot study for one year."

While the RCOC maintains that every roundabout in the county meets federal recommendations and Americans With Disabilities Act requirements, it was incumbent to take up the torch to find an innovative solution to ensure safety, according to Bryson.

"Every roundabout has completely complied with (Americans With Disabilities Act) requirements and federal recommendations," he said. "There was no federal requirement to do above and beyond what's been done, but we readily are trying others things for the roundabouts to be pedestrian-friendly. That's why we suggested HAWK as an alternative, to promote safety. We proposed HAWK and then the court ordered it. The court wouldn't have been aware of HAWK otherwise. We devised this solution on our own. That being said, roundabouts are vastly safer than signaled intersections and reduce traffic fatalities by 90 percent; however, one of the by-products is for blind people to continue to navigate the system."

The High-intensity Activated Crosswalk signal system will be installed at the Maple/Drake roundabout for one year as a pilot study. The RCOC hired Western Michigan University to do a before-and-after study to analyze the system's impact on pedestrians and traffic flow.

During the Drake Road closure, the detour route for Drake traffic will be 14 Mile Road to Farmington Road to Walnut Lake Road and back to Drake, and vice versa.

Cadillac Asphalt will be conducting the work at the roundabout. Costs are estimated at $795,000, of which the RCOC will be paying $600,000 and developers paying the remainder.

Meanwhile, the RCOC has stopped the heavy maintenance project on Orchard Lake Road between 14 and Maple Roads in West Bloomfield Township that began on June 30.

The maintenance and overlay project initially commenced to replace crumbling pavement in preparation for a resurfacing project scheduled later in the year. According to Bryson, the contractor who will facilitate the resurfacing would rather conduct the maintenance project itself. While the RCOC hasn't definitively decided to contract the whole project out to the contractor, the two parties are engaged in discussion. Until a decision is made, the RCOC has agreed to halt the maintenance work.

"The contractor said this past Thursday he would continue what we started and plans to begin the project at the beginning of August," Bryson said. "Initially we thought we could glean a cost savings but now we're looking at possibly incorporating that work. Right now, we're continuing discussions with the contractor and in the interim, we have stopped the work.

In Commerce Township, South Commerce Road between Commerce and Oakley Park roads reopened on Monday, July 6. The township closed the road to replace a culvert under the roadway.

New roundabout construction at Martin Parkway and Oakley Park Road was expected to begin yesterday, Tuesday, July 7. The roundabout project is tentatively slated to finish by Aug. 28.

The township intends to close Oakley Park between Haggerty and Welch roads but will maintain traffic on Martin Parkway south of Oakley Park since the Commerce Township Hall and several companies in an adjacent industrial park will need access. Martin Parkway will be closed north of Oakley Park Road.

According to Bryson, the township won't allow closures of South Commerce and Oakley Park roads simultaneously.

The contractor assigned to the project is Cadillac Asphalt, Inc. Project costs are estimated at $1.5 million.

During the Oakley Park closure, motorists are encouraged to use Richardson or Pontiac Trail as detour routes. To access the township offices the detour route is Haggerty to Oakley Park to southbound Martin Road.

The construction project along Commerce Road at Carroll Lake Road in Commerce is expected to be completed by Friday, July 10.

Both roads remain open to traffic during the project, which involves widening the intersection to add right-turn lanes along Commerce Road. However, drivers should expect traffic delays.

In White Lake Township, crews continue to chip away at a paving project along White Lake Road from Highland Hills to Eagle Road.

"They are continuing to excavate and lay the gravel base for the new road," Bryson said.

The project, which began on March 16 and is scheduled for completion by mid-September, involves paving 1.86 miles of gravel roadway while also adding roundabouts at both the Duck Lake Road and Rose Center Road intersections.

Access to area homes and businesses in the project area has been maintained throughout the project.

The detour route during the White Lake Road closure is Ormond Road to M-59 to Harvey Lake Road and back to White Lake Road, and vice versa.

Meanwhile, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has tentatively slated the weekend of Saturday, July 11 to close down eastbound I-696 from M-5 to Telegraph Road to erect beams on the eastbound side of Halstead Road overpass, in conjunction with making other improvements, according to MDOT Spokesperson Rob Morosi. The closure will begin at 10 p.m. on Friday, July 10. The expressway will reopen at 5 a.m. on Monday, July 13.

Beginning Saturday, July 18, MDOT plans to close westbound I-696 from Telegraph Road to M-5 to set beams over the I-696 westbound lanes.

Morosi said MDOT will most likely close the expressway on July 18 at 6 a.m. and reopen it around 8 p.m.

During both closures, motorists are encouraged to use 8 Mile, M-5, and Telegraph Road as alternative routes.