Taft Road and
Roundabout Design
From James P Gallogly, Public Works Director
Regarding the Opening of Taft Road and the Roundabout Design
On Friday, November 30, Northville’s segment of Taft Road was
opened to traffic in both directions. The project is substantially
complete with a final asphalt wearing course, cleanup and seeding to
be completed in Spring 2008.
I have noticed some recent "Letters to the Editor" in the
Northville Record, and I am concerned that certain people’s fears
and false interpretations may diminish the importance of this
improvement to our City. Taft Road is a well-designed roadway, and
our engineers and contractor have done an excellent job in
reconstructing this roadway on time and within budget.
Roundabouts are new to this area and people generally have a fear
of the unfamiliar. Taft Road is a major north/south street in the
City of Northville and, as such, the City is concerned about the
amount of traffic. More importantly, the need for better control and
enforcement of vehicle speed is a concern and was a major element in
the design of this important roadway.
The City considered several options. The preferred option was a
new roadway with a limited use of boulevard islands and a roundabout
at Morgan Boulevard. Reasons why this option was favored include:
Traffic Calming. This is the primary reason for the
roundabout. A motorist has to slow down to about 15 MPH to get
around the circle.
Access Improvement. Access onto Taft Road from Morgan
Boulevard is improved. Due to the wide boulevard islands for
Morgan Boulevard, opposing left turns have been difficult. The
roundabout permits only right turns eliminating conflicts with
opposing traffic.
Pedestrian Safety. With a roundabout design,
pedestrians are able to cross from a corner to the center island
and then to the opposite corner; and pedestrians only need to be
alert to one direction of traffic.
Cost. The cost of the concrete and curb for the
placement of the roundabout is less than the cost of placing
asphalt had we replaced the intersection to what it was before.
Safety Improvement. Though vehicle accidents may still
occur, accidents in a roundabout are generally less severe.
In short, the roundabout provides a desired traffic calming
effect, is a safer intersection for motorists and pedestrians, and
was constructed at less cost.
Northville’s new roundabout is one of seventeen roundabouts in
Southeast Michigan, and several more are in the planning stages. The
key to navigating in a roundabout is knowing when to yield. Taft
Road no longer has the right of way at this intersection, and all
stop signs have been removed. Vehicles entering this intersection
are required to yield to vehicles already in the circle. Ours is
a simple one-lane roundabout. Simply go slow and know when to yield.
If you would like more information on roundabouts and how to use
them, visit the State of Michigan’s Department
of Transportation website at or the Southeast Michigan Council
of Governments (SEMCOG) Southeast Michigan Council of
Governments (SEMCOG) website.
This page last updated:
July 24, 2008
©2008, City of Northville
City of Northville
215 W. Main St.
Northville, Michigan 48167
248-349-1300
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
(Directions)
Site Design and
Development by
|
This website is
|
Our website contains
links to Adobe Acrobat PDF documents. If you cannot view these
documents, click here
to download the free Adobe Reader.
|
|
