Traverse City commissioners will vote Monday on safety improvements to a curved stretch of West Front Street that’s experienced multiple accidents – revisiting a split vote from last summer that narrowly failed to fund the upgrades. While some commissioners this week criticized a recommendation to remove planters from the road median and install guardrail along the curve, City Attorney Lauren Trible-Laucht cautioned that ignoring the safety recommendations could expose the city to liability.

City Engineer Anne Pagano and representatives from consulting firm Hubbell, Roth & Clark (HRC) appeared before commissioners Monday to discuss the proposed improvements. HRC was hired in March 2024 to analyze the 500-foot stretch of West Front Street between Madison Street and the western city limits. There were nine reported crashes in the area between 2019 and 2023, two of which involved suspected injuries and the rest of which were property damage accidents. The majority of crashes occurred at night and did not involve alcohol or drugs. The majority of crashes were also westbound and involved vehicles running off the road. In December 2023, an eastbound vehicle left the roadway and smashed into the backyard of a West Front Street home, causing considerable damage (pictured, left). Pagano said there were fortunately no major injuries, but that the crash was an example of one that posed serious risk to both vehicle occupants and bystanders.

The owner of that home, Jeff Eriksson, has since advocated for safety upgrades on behalf of his and other households along West Front Street. Though the posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour, vehicles frequently barrel through the curve at much higher speeds, he said. Eriksson, whose office and bedroom face West Front, said the nine reported crashes are “far understating the problem” as he often witnesses unreported drive-off accidents. “I would say at least every couple weeks,” he said. “They spin off the road in the middle of the night, they get back on the road and fly out of town going 45 miles per hour up the hill west out of town.”

HRC provided a report to commissioners in August that recommended several improvements to West Front, including additional curve warning signs, median signs, reflective signposts, in-lane pavement markings, and guardrails. Several commissioners acknowledged concerns about the corridor at that meeting, with Mayor Amy Shamroe saying the curve has “been a problem for many years.” Commissioner Mi Stanley said that a series of large heavy planters installed in the road’s median as a traffic-calming measure are not “optimally designed” nor tall enough to provide “vertical visual cues” to drivers that their trajectory is about to “drastically” change around the curve.

However, other commissioners were skeptical about HRC’s recommendations. Commissioner Heather Shaw thought the planters had been effective and could potentially just be extended, with some additional signage installed. Commissioner Tim Werner also believed the planters provided “substantial barriers to motor vehicles.” He was critical of plans to install guardrail, which he said was “more something we do on a highway.” Commissioners failed in August to get the five votes necessary to hire HRC for additional construction management and design work on the improvements, with Werner, Shaw, Shamroe, and Commissioner Jackie Anderson opposed. Shamroe voted “no” because – realizing the motion was going to fail anyway – she wanted to be able to trigger bringing back the proposal for reconsideration in the future.

When the topic was brought back this week, HRC and city staff provided updated responses to the previous commission feedback. In a memo, Pagano noted that the planters – which are not embedded but simply sit in the middle of the roadway – “are not equivalent to guardrail and are not crash tested” to federal standards. They also pose a danger in and of themselves, she wrote, as they could become airborne or create debris if struck by a vehicle. HRC’s Jordan Hankin said the planters are not in a location that would even stop a vehicle from leaving the road, nor do they reduce the severity of accidents. The planters are recommended to be removed from the road entirely, with guardrail installed on the curve instead. The total estimated cost for improvements – including guardrail, signage, and pavement markings – is $82,700.

Only four commissioners were present Monday – Commissioners Mark Wilson, Stanley, and Shaw were absent – but Werner remained critical of the proposal. He said installing guardrail was “giving up” and treating West Front Street like a highway instead of a city street. He wanted to see “something creative” that acknowledges the corridor is only a 25-mile-per-hour stretch. “This doesn’t do it,” he said. Shamroe pushed Werner to be more specific. “Saying, almost like an American Idol judge, ‘Impress me, bring me something new,’ isn’t giving a lot of good direction. We could spend another year talking about this,” she said. Werner reiterated he wanted something more appropriate for an “urban context.” He also questioned the imperative to make the improvements. “If (drivers) can't drive according to the conditions, why should we as a city try to protect everybody from themselves?” he asked.

However, City Attorney Lauren Trible-Laucht cautioned the city could find itself in a tricky spot if accidents continue occurring at the site. “When you have engineers advising you that things in the right-of-way are not to the proper standard ...if something happens down the line, that will be an exhibit (in court),” she said. Trible-Laucht said what commissioners “have to think about is whether you could be setting up a set of facts that can lend toward governmental immunity being circumvented.”

Pagano said it’s possible the guardrail could be painted to make it more aesthetically pleasing, rather than drab steel. The city could also explore other options for the median that still provide a traffic-calming effect but are safer than the planters, staff said. Because commissioners were in study session, they did not vote on funding the improvements this week but are expected to do so at their March 3 meeting, according to City Manager Liz Vogel. Echoing comments Vogel made last summer about prioritizing safety over appearances, Eriksson implored commissioners to support the recommended upgrades.

“Safety comes far before aesthetics for something like this, and I urge the commission to think about that when you're voting hopefully next week on this issue,” he said.