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GRDadof3

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2 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Well the hits keep comin:

https://trib.al/AXiyH7D

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GRAND RAPIDS

Detour, traffic shift coming as I-196 reconstructed near Hudsonville

Today 8:00 AM

MDOT will reconstruct approximately five miles of westbound I-196 from Kenowa Avenue to 32nd Avenue in Hudsonville. Courtesy MDOT.

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By Sheila McGrath | [email protected]

HUDSONVILLE, MI -- Beginning Saturday, April 13, West Michigan drivers will have a new roadwork project on I-196 to factor into their commutes.

The Michigan Department of Transportation will begin a project to reconstruct approximately five miles of westbound I-196 from Kenowa Avenue to 32nd Avenue in Hudsonville, according to a news release. The work is expected to continue through Aug. 20.

Weather permitting, lane closures for construction staging will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday, according to John Richard, MDOT’s communications representative for the Grand Region.

Once the project is underway, westbound I-196 traffic will be shifted to the eastbound side of the roadway at Kenowa Avenue, Richard said.

All eastbound I-196 traffic will have to exit to eastbound M-6. The detour for drivers heading to the Grand Rapids area will be M-6 to northbound U.S. 131, Richard said, or drivers may choose to take local roads. There are exits from M-6 at 8th Avenue, Wilson Avenue and Byron Center Avenue.

“The main detour is to send folks up 131,” he said.

I knew this was coming but didn't realize that the entire eastbound I-196 would be routed onto M6, that will be a royal pain in the ass as a GR-Holland commuter. I was hoping both directions would be able to share the eastbound I-196 lanes with a divider in the middle, sort of like 131 last summer. 

The section of westbound I-196 that's going to be rebuilt is in pretty rough shape, so it's time but damn this whole region is under construction. 

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5 hours ago, thebeerqueer said:

I knew this was coming but didn't realize that the entire eastbound I-196 would be routed onto M6, that will be a royal pain in the ass as a GR-Holland commuter. I was hoping both directions would be able to share the eastbound I-196 lanes with a divider in the middle, sort of like 131 last summer. 

 The section of westbound I-196 that's going to be rebuilt is in pretty rough shape, so it's time but damn this whole region is under construction. 

I know Mdot isn't forward-thinking, but this is a stretch of highway that should be EXPANDED while it is reconstructed.  The GR-Holland corridor isn't going to stop growing, so why not move the area around M-6 to 3 lanes in each direction now?  Oh, yeah, because the gas tax isn't high enough yet...

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7 minutes ago, cutlervillegr said:

I know Mdot isn't forward-thinking, but this is a stretch of highway that should be EXPANDED while it is reconstructed.  The GR-Holland corridor isn't going to stop growing, so why not move the area around M-6 to 3 lanes in each direction now?  Oh, yeah, because the gas tax isn't high enough yet...

Exactly what I was thinking.  Hudsonville is growing pretty quickly.  Not to mention all the Chicago-GR traffic.

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1 hour ago, Floyd_Z said:

Exactly what I was thinking.  Hudsonville is growing pretty quickly.  Not to mention all the Chicago-GR traffic.

You don’t even need to look that far.  The cross commuting between Holland and GR bottlenecks that stretch of road almost daily.   I-196 should have an additional weave/merge from Byron Rd.  to downtown GR.

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On 4/12/2019 at 3:02 PM, Floyd_Z said:

So I'm guessing they probably won't widen it?  Or grade it out to make adding a lane in the future easier?

MDOT?....no way, just look how poorly designed the 196/M6 interchange is escpecaly with westbound 196 a left lane exit and a much busier left lane merge then the lane ends right before the hidsonville exit not after. Should be at the very least a weave/merge lane between hidsonville and M6 (not to mention in grandvile) but current traffic would also warrant a through lane to zeeland.

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So here's a synopsis of projects going on around Grand Rapids that will last through August:

I-96 resurfacing and concrete repair - from Bristol to 68th Avenue in Ottawa County (essentially from Alpine going West to Coopersville).  Weekend single-lane closures will be in effect through the end of May on I-96 from Bristol Avenue to 16th Avenue. From June to mid-August, weekday lane closures will be in place from 16th Avenue to 68th Avenue.

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/I-96_Coopersville_649876_7.pdf

I-96 bridge replacement in Ionia - This one snuck up on us and good luck to those who commute to Lansing or Detroit every day.  The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will invest $3.9 million to remove and replace the original Cutler Road bridge over I-96, and $5.5 million to repair and resurface 9.5 miles of I-96 from Sunfield Road to the Ionia/ Clinton county line. Single-lane closures and traffic shifts will be in effect for most of the project. I-96 will be closed and detoured for bridge demolition and beam setting.

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/I-96_Cutler_Road_649879_7.pdf

I-196 bridge replacement over the Grand River - we all know about this one, but MDOT neglected to tell everyone that they would do intermittent lane closures on 131 during this project that would affect their #1 detour route (Saturday morning they had 131 Southbound down to 1 lane near I-196/Union Square and traffic backed up and was stop-n-go to West River Drive, added a nice 23 minutes to an already long detour route).  I have the google maps to prove it.

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/I-96_Grand_River_Widening_Grand_Rapids_649880_7.pdf

I-196 Reconstruction Grandville/Hudsonville, Kent & Ottawa Counties - Just announced this past week.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is investing $22 million to reconstruct approximately 5 miles of westbound I-196 from Kenowa Avenue to 32nd Avenue in the city of Hudsonville. The project also includes new drainage, signs, traffic signals and bridge improvements at 22nd and 32nd avenues.  

Westbound I-196 traffic will be shifted to the eastbound side of the roadway at Kenowa Avenue. Westbound I-196 through-traffic will not have access to 32nd Avenue. The westbound I-196 ramp to eastbound M-6 will remain open. All eastbound I-196 traffic will have to exit to eastbound M-6.

Westbound M-6 traffic will have access to 32nd Avenue and will also be able to continue west on I-196. The westbound M-6 ramp to eastbound I-196 will be closed.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9621_11008-494718--,00.html

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1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

So here's a synopsis of projects going on around Grand Rapids that will last through August:

I-96 resurfacing and concrete repair - from Bristol to 68th Avenue in Ottawa County (essentially from Alpine going West to Coopersville).  Weekend single-lane closures will be in effect through the end of May on I-96 from Bristol Avenue to 16th Avenue. From June to mid-August, weekday lane closures will be in place from 16th Avenue to 68th Avenue.

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/I-96_Coopersville_649876_7.pdf

I-96 bridge replacement in Ionia - This one snuck up on us and good luck to those who commute to Lansing or Detroit every day.  The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will invest $3.9 million to remove and replace the original Cutler Road bridge over I-96, and $5.5 million to repair and resurface 9.5 miles of I-96 from Sunfield Road to the Ionia/ Clinton county line. Single-lane closures and traffic shifts will be in effect for most of the project. I-96 will be closed and detoured for bridge demolition and beam setting.

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/I-96_Cutler_Road_649879_7.pdf

I-196 bridge replacement over the Grand River - we all know about this one, but MDOT neglected to tell everyone that they would do intermittent lane closures on 131 during this project that would affect their #1 detour route (Saturday morning they had 131 Southbound down to 1 lane near I-196/Union Square and traffic backed up and was stop-n-go to West River Drive, added a nice 23 minutes to an already long detour route).  I have the google maps to prove it.

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/I-96_Grand_River_Widening_Grand_Rapids_649880_7.pdf

I-196 Reconstruction Grandville/Hudsonville, Kent & Ottawa Counties - Just announced this past week.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is investing $22 million to reconstruct approximately 5 miles of westbound I-196 from Kenowa Avenue to 32nd Avenue in the city of Hudsonville. The project also includes new drainage, signs, traffic signals and bridge improvements at 22nd and 32nd avenues.  

Westbound I-196 traffic will be shifted to the eastbound side of the roadway at Kenowa Avenue. Westbound I-196 through-traffic will not have access to 32nd Avenue. The westbound I-196 ramp to eastbound M-6 will remain open. All eastbound I-196 traffic will have to exit to eastbound M-6.

Westbound M-6 traffic will have access to 32nd Avenue and will also be able to continue west on I-196. The westbound M-6 ramp to eastbound I-196 will be closed.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9621_11008-494718--,00.html

What a wonderful Summer for East/West bounders.  

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35 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

I know, I had to work Saturday out in Hudsonville and I thought leaving 45 mins early would be good enough, instead of my usual 25 minutes. 1 hour 15 minutes later I finally got to work. 

I work in Holland but am working remotely today and two of my colleauges that commute from GR  said their commutes were over an hour this morning, albeit there was an accident on I-196 West as well. 

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This morning "black ice" bit quite a few motorists.  There is a phenomena at day break where the air temperature drops about 3 degrees. It went from about 33 to 30 and the pavement was too wet to freeze dry. Not much the road authorities can do except wait for the temp to rise in a few minutes.  The Road Commission sprays liquid sodium chloride throughout the winter (the white streaks you see) to keep the salt residue high enough to not have black ice.  Couldn't spray last night, it was too wet.  This is probably only the 2nd or 3rd time in 25 years there has been wide spread black ice. Black ice used to be a regular occurrence on I-96 at the river in Portland. I don't think they have had an occurrence since it has been sprayed regularly.

Everyone complained about the condition of our roads. After a good decade of under investmewnt (and no orange barrels) it is only going to get worse.  Which way do you want it, can't have both.  Or you can pull a Walker, retire:thumbsup: . I can always walk to work if I have too :P

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1 hour ago, Raildude's dad said:

This morning "black ice" bit quite a few motorists.  There is a phenomena at day break where the air temperature drops about 3 degrees. It went from about 33 to 30 and the pavement was too wet to freeze dry. Not much the road authorities can do except wait for the temp to rise in a few minutes.  The Road Commission sprays liquid sodium chloride throughout the winter (the white streaks you see) to keep the salt residue high enough to not have black ice.  Couldn't spray last night, it was too wet.  This is probably only the 2nd or 3rd time in 25 years there has been wide spread black ice. Black ice used to be a regular occurrence on I-96 at the river in Portland. I don't think they have had an occurrence since it has been sprayed regularly.

Everyone complained about the condition of our roads. After a good decade of under investmewnt (and no orange barrels) it is only going to get worse.  Which way do you want it, can't have both.  Or you can pull a Walker, retire:thumbsup: . I can always walk to work if I have too :P

Trust me, I hold the Republicans in Lansing completely responsible for the need (now) to do non-stop major road reconstruction. If anyone has any arguments to the contrary, come at me bro. :P 

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10 hours ago, cutlervillegr said:

My critiques tend to be related to the following:

1) When MDOT repairs a road, they tend not to future proof it.  Examples being the twin I-196 projects in GR and Hudsonville.  If you're going to take the time and money to do a major rebuild/reconstruct, why not prepare for future growth, too?  MDOT seems to do projects for the present, or even for the traffic levels of 5-10 years ago.

2) Too often, I hear that Michigan roads are poor due to the weather conditions.  Having grown up in an area of the country with twice the snow and similar temperatures, you can plow and salt the roads, and repair potholes.  Somehow, Michigan hasn't looked to other states in the Northeast and Midwest to figure out what they already know about dealing with snow and freeze/thaw.

Taxes and fees (also taxes) can be slushed around and make it difficult to tell state vs. state who is investing more or less in infrastructure.  I don't know truly where Michigan stands, but I do know that Michigan taxes are not so low that under-investment can be the sole explanation for Michigan's infrastructure.  I have to think that poor management, bad decision making, and poor engineering (see M-6 west of 131) have contributed collectively to the state of the roads.  

No it's mostly because we've been underfunding for too long. A lot of our revenue now goes to pay back debt (apparently) because we've underfunded for so long and MDOT had to borrow money.

Per capita we spend way less than other states, especially our Northern neighbors. We're ranked near the bottom:

https://www.michiganradio.org/post/michigans-neighbors-spend-more-capita

"Minnesota invests $275 per capita in roads - $121 more, and Indiana spends $289 per capita - $135 more. Wisconsin spends almost twice as much per capita as Michigan does, at $302 per person, and Illinois invests $412 per capita - $258 more per person."

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29 minutes ago, Floyd_Z said:

Heard that section of I-196 going east was backed up all the way to Zeeland, adding another 45 mins to everyone's commute...

I found today that the onramp at Fulton westbound onto I-196 is going to be closed "intermittently" from 9am to 3pm. WhoTF knows what intermittently means. Anyone? I was going to actually call MDOT to find out because there's nothing online. On my land-based phone. Rotary. 

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12 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

I found today that the onramp at Fulton westbound onto I-196 is going to be closed "intermittently" from 9am to 3pm. WhoTF knows what intermittently means. Anyone? I was going to actually call MDOT to find out because there's nothing online. On my land-based phone. Rotary. 

Hell, I have to drive from Montague to GR.  I have to deal with multiple areas of Eastbound 96 from Muskegon to GR under construction just to get to the F’ing gridlock in GR.  I have taken to driving through Fremont and Newaygo to ultimately drive Alpine to get to town.  You know its bad when Alpine is your clearest route to get into the City.  

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13 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

Heard that section of I-196 going east was backed up all the way to Zeeland, adding another 45 mins to everyone's commute...

As a GR-Holland commuter I can confirm that. I took a combination of side streets, country roads and Chicago Drive and my commute was around 55 minutes. 

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On 4/16/2019 at 7:20 AM, GRDadof3 said:

Per capita we spend way less than other states, especially our Northern neighbors. We're ranked near the bottom:

https://www.michiganradio.org/post/michigans-neighbors-spend-more-capita

"Minnesota invests $275 per capita in roads - $121 more, and Indiana spends $289 per capita - $135 more. Wisconsin spends almost twice as much per capita as Michigan does, at $302 per person, and Illinois invests $412 per capita - $258 more per person."

That would explain why I was so shocked at the road conditions when I moved here after living between Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota my entire life. 

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On 3/8/2019 at 10:34 AM, walker said:

In the long run when we are all whizzing around in electric cars you are right.  Despite all the buzz about the coming future of electric vehicles, the fact is almost all the current new models continue to be bigger and bigger personal use trucks and SUVs and the domestic auto companies are almost eliminating more efficient sedans and compact vehicles.  There was a news article just yesterday about how in the past year fuel mileage has hardly improved despite more efficient engines and a few more electric vehicles on the road because the vast majority of people are buying bigger gas burning vehicles.

Since vehicles last around twenty years, even if electric vehicles started to become popular and available in large numbers in say 2020, it will take a very long time for them to replace gasoline fueled vehicles unless there are large dis-incentives to buying and using gas vehicles (like for example a high gas tax.)

The reason the auto companies are shifting their resources towards electric vehicles is because of the Chinese, not because of U.S. demand.  GM currently sells more vehicles in China than in America.  The Chinese government is pushing electric vehicles, both for environmental reasons and so they will be expert on the technology.  They have imposed a massive tax on new gasoline vehicles and no tax on new electric vehicles.

Passing a higher gas tax will be hard enough.  I fear if any other type of state tax is proposed for raising revenue for roads, it will get bogged down in endless debate given the current political climate.  Whitmer’s proposal is pretty much a copy of the proposal by a non-partisan committee made up of an equal number of former state legislators from both parties.  I think the time to start looking at alternatives to the gas tax is when we start actually seeing a topping off of gasoline sales. 
 

Not that anyone was arguing with me but I thought that I'd post this article from today's Detroit News that reinforces what I wrote about where the push is coming from for electric vehicles at the same time their actual sales in the U.S. are unfortunately falling.  The News also mentions Europe and California, along with China.

DETROIT NEWS: why-automakers-betting-so-big-electric-vehicles

I just got back from California last week.  It was fun walking the warm beaches along the Pacific at Mission Beach in San Diego.  While channel surfing the TV in the hotel, I noticed most of the car ads were for electrics.  Can't say I've noticed that around here but then I don't watch TV when I'm home, dropped cable a long time ago. 

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