Barton Hills Ramp may be closed.

[wolverine]

I'm happy to hear Ann Arbor wants to have this ramp shut down

Who the hell sits at a stop sign waiting to make a right turn onto the freeway? I nearly get killed everytime.

And who wants to make a 90 degree turn getting off? I can't remember the exit speed, I think it's 10 or 15 mph.

The ramp was originally constructed when traffic drove much slower on freeways -- at 55. Except no one drives that speed on M-14. The norm is about 65-70. So this dated intersection needs to go.

http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf...2020.xml&coll=2

View of Barton Drive exit:

http://terraserverusa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S...ALat=42.2962914

[statedude3]

I've used that ramp just a handful of times, and I've hated it just a handful of times. It's scary just looking at it.

[tapezord]

<--Civil Engineer

10 - 15 mph is unacceptable for a freeway on or off ramp. That ramp on the right side should have never been built the way it is. A solution for the NB on ramp would be to remove the tight curve and straighten the whole link into a free-flow speed ramp improving not only safety, but capacity.

The SB off ramp doesn't look as bad in plan view, but I seem to remember that it is a downhill ramp which is a no no especially with such a tight radius.

[jsmyers]

A little history:

The interchange was constructed to be temporary, until US-23 was built.

US-23 was originally planned for where Huron Parkway is now. The ROW had even been purchased. Then the decision was made (don't know by who) to move the route further away.

I believe the plan then became to build Huron Parkway and connect it to M-14 where US-23 was previously planned to go. Before this could happen, a number of homes where built, and the NIMBYs came out of the woodwork and prevented it from ever happening.

[jayblogger]

I friend of mine just moved from west Michigan to A2... and this is his exit. Next time I visit him, I might take the long way around just to avoid this monstrosity.

[RustTown]

That thing is simply HORRIBLE. Actually, the whole beltway around Ann Arbor is dangerous with narrower-then-average lanes, and relatively sharp turns at the interchanges.

[wolverine]

Yeah, that loop was really never meant for high speed traffic. All of the ramps that get on and off it are very short and sharp, because it was intended for cars to go 55 or less. I'm sure in due time, it will be corrected. A smoother and wider downtown ramp would be nice too.

[jsmyers]

Yeah, lets spend a lot of money to make it easier to get in and out of Ann Arbor with a car....That is exactly what the city needs.

[RustTown]

No, this isn't one of those "city/suburb" debates. This is a debate purely about safety. That ramp configuration is not safe at all, city, suburb, or otherwise, period.

[wolverine]

Yeah, lets spend a lot of money to make it easier to get in and out of Ann Arbor with a car....That is exactly what the city needs.

Who is talking about widening freeways which would propagate sprawl? I'm talking about correcting ramps north of downtown which are ridiculous. The Barton ramp is a mess and so is the one into downtown..which magically becomes 2 lanes out of gravel. Ever go to City Park from main street? The crosswalk is located at the end of the exit ramp, and motorists come flying around the blind corner at 40-50 mph. That whole 1 mile stretch needs correction, not to put more cars on the road, but to make the ramps sensible and safe.

[RustTown]

I'm getting off subject, but if you think this one is bad, just look at this mess on Lansing's far southside that MDOT wants to correct. It's where Cedar and Pennsylvania merge, with branches onto the freeway, all the while east-west traffic is created by the terminus of of the ramps. The aerial is almost 10 years old, I believe, and a lot of new development now lines Edgewood creating insanes amount of traffic (i.e. Celebration Cinema mainly):

http://terraserver.microsoft.com/download....=5909:5907&z=16

It was built in 60's when this aerial was pretty rural. It kind of relates to the ramp above in how incredibly accident prone it is. In fact, most of Lansing's freeways are out of date in terms of design, if even they are smooth. In that way, it reminds me of Ann Arbor in it's beltway setup.