Maybe you’ve heard already: Roudabouts are coming to Dexter.
The Washtenaw County Road Commission (WCRC), in cooperation with the City of Dexter, Scio Township and Dexter Community Schools will be constructing two single-lane roundabouts on Baker Road at the intersections of Shield Road/Dongara Drive (at Walkabout Creek) and Dan Hoey Road (the traffic light).
Similar in construction to the recently built roundabout at the intersection of Scio Church Road and Wagner Road this past summer, the project will also entail the reconstruction of Baker Road between the two intersections including concrete curb, driveways, sidewalk, storm water drainage and upgrades in street lighting.
The two intersections were chosen to be modified with roundabouts as a result of a 2015-16 WCRC and City of Dexter study to examine ways to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety. With feedback from the public and stakeholders such as Dexter Community Schools and Scio Township, construction of two roundabouts was the preferred alternative to improve the intersections.
The evaluation factors in the study included: traffic and pedestrian safety, traffic capacity and operations, construction and maintenance costs, non-motorized access, right-of-way and environmental impacts, and opportunity for place-making and aesthetic enhancements. The roundabouts option best addressed traffic/pedestrian safety and traffic capacity/operations of the intersections. The roundabout intersections also provide traffic calming which will result in slower, but steady vehicle speeds.
Drivers will still experience delays during the morning and afternoon rush hours. However, the strategy behind the implementation of the new roundabout intersections is that they will reduce speeds, improve safety for all users – motorized and non-motorized alike, and improve traffic capacity and operations.
WCRC and the City of Dexter plan to start work after the 2017-18 school year (June 14, 2018). The goal is to reopen the intersections to traffic prior to the beginning of the 2018-19 school year (September 4, 2018).
The intersections and Baker Road will be completely closed to through traffic at Shield Road/Dongara Drive and Dan Hoey Road. The posted detour route will be Jackson Road, Parker Road, Dexter-Chelsea Road, and Main Street. All residents within the work limits will be provided access to and from their property during construction.
Funding for the project comes from federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funding totaling $1,320,000 which WCRC and the City of Dexter received to cover construction and inspection costs. All other project costs are being split with the City of Dexter paying 33% and WCRC paying 67%.
