Council OKs bid for new traffic signal at dangerous intersection
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ALPENA -- Alpena city leaders on Monday took a step toward making an Alpena intersection safer with a vote to ask the state to fund a new traffic signal.
With poor lighting and high traffic volumes at the beginning and end of each school day, the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Hobbs Drive has proved the scene of several crashes in recent months, including an October incident in which a vehicle struck a Thunder Bay Junior High School student.
A new traffic signal, which could usher drivers and pedestrians through the intersection in timed cycles, could decrease drivers' impatience as they wait for a break in traffic, rushing to make a turn so they don't have to sit through the next light cycle, City Engineer Steve Shultz said.
The Alpena Municipal Council at a regular meeting on Monday gave Shultz the thumbs up to apply for a grant from the Federal Local Safety Program, administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation.
That grant, if awarded, would cover 80% of the cost of the signal, estimated at $350,000.
The city would have to pay about $70,000 toward the project and find funding for an additional $70,000 for design services and construction inspection.
A local consultant told the city the project would be a "slam dunk" for approval for the grant, but the money is not a foregone conclusion, Shultz said.
Busier than when the current light was installed in 1999, the intersection jams with traffic from all directions several times a day during the school year as parents, students, and buses travel to and from the two nearby schools.
The current signal functions properly but is too old to be modified to provide time-specific cycles to improve traffic flow, Shultz said.
A new, modern signal could sense traffic flows and adjust accordingly. If, for example, the signal senses no vehicles in a left turn lane, the light could skip that cycle.
During times of high pedestrian use, the traffic signal might stop traffic flow in all directions to allow pedestrians to cross multiple streets in one cycle, Shultz explained.
Council members agreed to authorize Shultz to apply for the MDOT grant and committed to fund 20% of the new signal's cost.
The city's 2022-2023 budget already includes the $35,000 needed for design services, Shultz said.
Shultz expects grant award notification in August. If awarded, the grant money would reach Alpena during the 2024 fiscal year.
Lee Fitzpatrick, APS director of communications, called student safety a top priority for the district.
Any decision to protect student safety is a move in the right direction, he said.
Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693 or jriddle@thealpenanews.com. Follow her on Twitter @jriddleX.