News Photo by Steve Schulwitz A motorists takes a left turn off of 3rd Avenue onto Hobbs Drive on Friday. This summer, crews will make several changes to the intersection that could reduce the number of wrecks there.

ALPENA — Wholesale changes are coming to the intersection of 3rd Avenue where Hobbs Drive turns into Bagley Street.

That intersection near Alpena High School and Thunder Bay Junior High School has seen multiple crashes, some involving school buses. A student was struck by a vehicle while walking to school in 2021.

At Monday’s Alpena Municipal Council meeting, councilmembers voted to enter into a contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation that will earn the city a $296,000 grant from MDOT to use toward the estimated $436,000 in enhancements planned for the intersection.

Alpena will pay the additional $140,000 to cover the cost, which could change once bids for the project are submitted.

The intersection falls on a boundary between Alpena and Alpena Township. The city maintains the intersection’s traffic signals in an agreement with the Alpena County Road Commission.

The project is expected to begin when students are released from school for summer vacation and conclude a month or so later.

Alpena officials have been searching for ways to make the crossroads safer while continuing to allow traffic to flow freely.

Once the project is completed, the intersection will include brighter for better visibility for motorists and pedestrians. Crews would install a new traffic light that will offer left turn signals and increase the duration of time a light remains green when traffic is at its peak.

The traffic light can also be programmed to halt all traffic so pedestrians can utilize the four crosswalks at the intersection at any one time.

The design change for the intersection has been an issue for years because the crossing is a hotspot for crashes and is potentially dangerous for pedestrians, especially students who walk there before and after school.

In May, field work for the design of the traffic light and other safety measures at the intersection was done and the new project stemmed from the findings of that field work.

Alpena Public Schools Superintendent Dave Rabineau did not return a message seeking comment.