We second comments made by Alpena City Manager Rachel Smolinski at an Alpena County Road Commission public hearing on a proposed extension of 3rd Avenue.

“Is this truly the best solution for the community?” Smolinski asked road commissioners at Monday’s hearing, according to a story by News staff writer Steve Schulwitz. “If it is in the best interest of the community, then I will support it, but you must do your due diligence, consult with all stakeholders, and consider all impacts. It is not prudent to make a decision of this scale based on a 21-year-old study.”

The Road Commission and Alpena Township are considering extending 3rd Avenue through Road Commission-owned land behind the Barrington Circle neighborhood out to Tamarack Road, which connects to M-32.

A roundabout at the 3rd Avenue-Barrington Circle intersection also has been considered.

The Road Commission and Alpena Township each have pledged $1 million toward the estimated $2 million project.

Proponents say the project would grant another access point to 3rd Avenue by Thunder Bay Junior High School (the current roads offer only one way in, down Hobbs Drive/Bagley Street to 3rd), which would improve safety for the students and staff there, along with residents who live along that stretch of 3rd. Proponents also say the proposed extension could alleviate traffic on that road, further improving safety.

Opponents — who made up a majority of the crowd who attended Monday’s public hearing — worry that the setup could actually increase traffic on that section of 3rd by bringing more traffic off the state highway, which they say would make the roadway less safe for students and others.

It sounds like road commissioners need to do more homework — including completing an updated traffic study and looking at other possibilities for adding an access point that doesn’t include extending 3rd Avenue — before committing to the project.

Once that work is done, the Road Commission needs to bring that information back to the public to gather more input.

If that work gets done and reveals that extending 3rd makes the most sense, we join Smolinski in saying we would support the project, even if it happens over the opposition of some residents who live in that area.

We think something needs to happen in that area. We can’t have only one access point — which is frequently clogged with traffic, both vehicle and pedestrian — for first responders. When school begins and lets out, that area is heavy with parents taking their kids to and from school, creating hazards for the many students who walk to the junior high.

But we need to make sure we do the right thing.

Consider all options, Road Commission, and let us know what those options are.