With vehicle detour routes set for the reconstruction of Grandview Parkway/East Front Street starting in March, city officials will next hear details on efforts to help pedestrians and cyclists navigate the challenging construction zone. City commissioners and Traverse City Downtown Development Authority board members will receive an overview during a joint study session Monday on temporary traffic signals, non-motorized detours, crosswalks, signage, and other traffic control methods that will be used by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) when work starts next spring.

MDOT is dividing construction work next year into two segments, each with unique detours. Segment 1 will occur from March until early July and cover East Front Street between Garfield Avenue and Grandview Parkway. It will also cover from the Garfield/East Front intersection north to Peninsula Drive. East Front between Garfield and Peninsula and Garfield from East Front to Peninsula will be closed between March and May (pictured, map). One lane of eastbound traffic will be maintained on East Front up to Peninsula Drive, where cars will then detour up Peninsula Drive to Eastern Avenue and Milliken Drive (north/south Old Mission traffic will also detour to Milliken Drive).

In May, the Garfield/Front intersection will reopen to north-south traffic, and one lane of eastbound traffic will open on East Front Street from the Parkway to Garfield. No westbound traffic will be allowed on East Front Street between Garfield and the Parkway during Segment 1. When Segment 1 is finished, crews will break for the National Cherry Festival and then begin on Segment 2 on Grandview Parkway from East Front Street to Division Street. Work is anticipated to last through November. Two-way traffic will be maintained on Grandview Parkway during Segment 2, though it will be down to one eastbound lane and one westbound lane.

Crews have been working this fall on preparations to accommodate the vehicle detours, such as paving the north end of Railroad Avenue to connect directly to Front Street for a new temporary intersection configuration at Railroad/East Front/Grandview Parkway. But at the city commission’s September 18 meeting, Commissioner Tim Werner pressed for more details on how pedestrians and cyclists will navigate construction. “Now that we’re moving toward implementation, it would be nice to hear what those detours are so we can share them with folks in the neighborhoods,” he said.

At Monday’s meeting, city staff – who have been “working closely” with MDOT to “disseminate information to the public” about the reconstruction project, according to Interim City Manager Nate Geinzer – will present updates on multi-modal transportation options during Segment 1. Pedestrian maps and detours are being developed now that will be published ahead of construction on a dedicated project page on the city’s website, according to staff documents. Detours will change throughout next year “due to the project evolving during each phase,” making it important for residents to pay attention to the right maps for each phase.

All intersections under construction will provide “necessary temporary routing, signed, for pedestrians,” documents state. Staff are recommending using curb-mounted crosswalk signage at all marked and uncontrolled crossings on detour routes, citing 24 signs to be placed at 12 locations in the spring. “Unmarked crossings will be addressed on a case-by-case basis,” documents state, adding that staff and contractors will evaluate existing crosswalk markings “as soon as possible” next spring.

Construction work will require closing off access to the TART Trail below the Murchie Bridge at some point, which will also have a “clearly marked” detour in place when that occurs, staff said. The city will place speed feedback signs – which are compact and mobile – throughout the construction zone “to promote traffic calming,” documents state. Temporary traffic signals – which are going in at Milliken/East Front Street, Railroad Avenue/Washington Street, and Railroad Avenue/East Front Street/Grandview – will have pedestrian signalizations with countdowns.

MDOT is also working on other temporary signal improvements. The Eighth Street and Munson Avenue intersection – which is where westbound traffic heading downtown will detour onto Eighth Street up to Railroad Avenue – will have a dedicated left turn-light and phase. That will allow for safer pedestrian crossings, staff said. Adjustments will be made elsewhere “related to the timing on traffic signals based on real-time vehicular and pedestrian traffic volumes,” documents state. Staff cited as examples the traffic signals at Milliken and Fair streets, with additional traffic measures being discussed for Fair and Eighth (such as enhanced or illuminated signage). Stop signs are temporarily planned to be removed at Milliken/East Front Street, Railroad Avenue/Washington Street, State Street/Railroad Avenue (north and south side), and Peninsula Drive/Garfield, with an all-way stop added at Eastern/Milliken.

Staff noted there are a few “special circumstances” in the construction zone that will require attention. Those include access to businesses like Taco Bell, with contractors working to either maintain access along East Front Street or find an improved solution for alley access to the fast-food restaurant. Access to Nawbin Jewelry on East Front Street will be maintained by a crossing at Gilbert Street, while access to Bardon’s, Starbucks, and Cuppa Joe while the Garfield/Front intersection is closed will be maintained on Garfield by placing barricades north of the driveways. City parking staff are also working on solutions to Railroad Avenue parking and access during the project, documents state.

Werner was particularly interested in how the Garfield/Front intersection closure will affect pedestrians next spring, given that school will still be in session and many students use that corridor to reach Eastern Elementary School, Traverse City Central High School, and Northwestern Michigan College. The pedestrian detour maps being developed will address that intersection, according to staff, who noted that “collateral/communication will be developed specifically for school commuting.” MDOT plans to meet with Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) this month to “to discuss pedestrian/non-motorized detours for school commuters and increased volume along Milliken and Eastern,” according to staff documents.

City Civil Engineer Kyle Kobylski said at the September 18 meeting that staff plan to install some kind of “vertical delineator” – such as bollards or another device – to physically and visually separate pedestrians from vehicles on Eastern Avenue between Peninsula Drive and Milliken Drive. That stretch will see heavy traffic between March and May with both eastbound and north/southbound vehicles using it as a detour. The city plans to add new permanent sidewalk on that section of Eastern Avenue, but will not be able to do so before the Grandview Parkway reconstruction begins.

City staff said they plan to work with MDOT on more public outreach about pedestrian and cyclist detours – as well as overall construction updates – between now and March. The city mailed approximately 1,500 letters to neighborhood residents affected by pre-construction work this fall and notified Peninsula Drive residents of the eastbound detour plans, documents state. MDOT will host a community open house sometime this winter on the project, and staff from MDOT, the city, and contractor Elmer’s have been attending neighborhood association meetings this fall to talk over plans with residents. Geinzer recommended city commissioners hold another study session in February or early March for a project update prior to the construction kickoff, with major updates also to be shared with residents in the coming months on the city’s website, social media, and weekly e-newsletter.