The corridor stretches from Ishpeming through to Chocolay Township; we believe it has been called the busiest corridor in the state. The MTBA will be sure to inform you of the progress this group is making in relation to the US41 corridor in our front yard, either through the minutes or a brief report from the MTBA board.
Attendance:
Betsy Neznanski– MDOT, Stacey Rasanen – Michigan State Police, Thyra Karlstrom – Marquette County Planning, Randy Girard – Marquette Township, Jason McCarthy –Marquette Township, Andy Sikkema – MDOT, Jeff Rautiola- MDOT, Jim Iwanicki- Marquette County Road Commission, Ken Saari – Ely Township, Russ Williams- City of Negaunee, Jon Kangas – City of Ishpeming, Steve Lawry – Chocolay Township, Dave Stensaas – City of Marquette, Chad Larsen – Michigan State Police, Blake Rieboldt – City of Marquette Police, Dave Lemire – Marquette County Sheriff Department, Aaron Johnson – MDOT.
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Review September Meeting Notes
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Agency Update
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Marquette Township
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Brookton Road work is almost done.
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The New Township hall facility will be moving forward, construction should happen next summer.
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The access drive for the Starbucks mall is under construction; hope to have it open for traffic soon.
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The Township has an updated master plan they will be sending out for review.
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The Township is exploring new alternatives to US-41 traffic specifically looking for north/south routes.
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The township is working on the connector road from Target to Lowes; the area is being reviewed for development and will depend on the type of use granted for the property.
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Marquette County Road Commission
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CR 595 there will not be an answer from the EPA on the permit until maybe late November or early December. If the permit is granted construction would occur in 2013 & 2014. If they deny the permit then improvements would be made to CR 510 and the AAA road in 2013 & 2014.
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CR 550 and Wright Street intersection is being looked at for potential options to accommodate truck traffic.
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City of Negaunee
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The planning commission is reviewing the proposed park and ride lot at the Holiday Gas Station.
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City of Ishpeming
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The Malton Road project is progressing. It remains to be seen how this new connector will affect traffic on US-41. Presently working on paving as much of the road as possible. MDOT will keep an eye on this intersection and will evaluate in the future after the road opens.
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The City is still working on their monument signs.
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City of Marquette
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Police- new road is open and working good, only suggestion would be placement of “Slower Traffic Keep Right” signs. Andy said they would look at signs after the road has been open for a while to get a better idea if this is a problem or just people getting used to the new road.
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Dave presented a site plan for Peninsula Bank located at McClellan Avenue and Baraga Avenue. The plan was already approved by the planning commission and a traffic impact study will not be completed. The city does not currently have a policy in place on when to conduct an impact study. Aaron offered the guideline of if a business generates 100 trips per hour during its peak time then a traffic study should be conducted. There are variables to consider as well including the size and type of business. MDOT can send this information to the City to help them draft a policy.
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MDOT
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Miller Bradford new building should be open in two weeks.
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UP Powersports moving along slowly.
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Still some issues with people parking in clear vision areas. MDOT is drafting a standard letter to send to dealerships warning of parking in a clear vision area. The letter will also be sent to law enforcement and the municipality.
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Action Item: MDOT will draft a letter for municipalities to distribute to residents who park in the clear vision areas along the trunkline.
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Chocolay Township
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Glad to see the construction project finishing up.
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Construction Update
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Marquette to Harvey US-41 Reconstruction –Project should be complete by the end of the month.
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Enhancement Grant Carp River Pedestrian Bridge – The project bid in October and should be open by December and will be completed in the spring.
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Signal Improvements 2012 –Maas Street (City of Negaunee), Washington Street & McClellan Avenue (City of Marquette). Aaron reviewed the Washington Street signal as this would have a significant change to the intersection. The westbound traffic on Washington Street will now have a signal light at the intersection of Washington & US-41 and not stop signs. This work may be completed yet this fall weather permitting.
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2013 Signal Project – Genessee Street (Marquette), Baldwin & Teal Lake Avenues (Negaunee), Lakeshore Drive (Ishpeming) these locations will all get new actuated box span signals.
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2013 US-41 Concrete patch- From Shiras Hills to Marquette Township on WB US-41.
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2015 Projects– US-41 in Marquette from the Carp River Bridge over Shiras Hills. This project will remove the curbed roadway and place an 8’ paved shoulder in this area.
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Site Plan Review
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Chocolay Township Fire hall – the proposed plan is for an addition to the existing Township Fire hall which will allow for 6 drive thru stalls for fires trucks. There will be a 100’ driveway opening for emergency vehicle only to enter the highway. The driveway will be posted for emergency vehicles only and will not serve as an entrance to the Township Hall. Fire trucks will access the building from the Silver Creek drive which is a safety improvement to the new facility. General comments from the group were to make sure the drive is posted for emergency vehicles only and that MDOT now uses a 2012 Spec Book.
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Road Safety Audit – US-41 Intersections of Second & Third Streets – Ishpeming
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Aaron reported there will be an evaluation of the intersections in Ishpeming at US-41 for possible improvements that can be made at this location. These intersections consistently make our high crash list for the corridor. MDOT representatives will review the intersection, observe operations at the site and listen to input from law enforcement and local government. Aaron will report the findings back to the group at the November meeting.
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