City of Royal Oak seeks public input on future 11 Mile Road project
The city of Royal Oak, Michigan, is seeking public input on a future road project expected to break ground in 2027.
If you've ever driven down 11 Mile Road, the congestion is constant and for some, stressful.
"The traffic is really slow. It kind of gives me a little bit of anxiety driving down there," said Ebony Mcghee.
From Woodward Avenue to Main Street in Royal Oak, five lanes, including a center turn lane, cover that stretch of road. From Main Street to I-75, it drops to four lanes.
"But no center turn lane, so you'll have a lot of cars stopping and waiting to turn left, and that can lead to a lot of rear-end accidents and safety issues," said Royal Oak City engineer Holly Donoghue.
Donoghue says Royal Oak would like to fix this problem. In 2027, the city plans to rebuild 11 Mile Road between Woodward Avenue and Stephenson Highway.
"We're looking to do a lane conversion project so that we will reduce the lanes down to three. So, you will have one lane in each direction and a center turn lane. And as we do that, we open up some extra space on that corridor," Donoghue said.
That's where the community comes in. The city is asking for feedback using an online survey until Sunday, May 11, for folks to share what improvements they'd like to see.
"Tell us what you would like to see out there. Is green space more important to you? Are bike lanes important to you? Do you think on-street parking would be better for this corridor?" said Donoghue.
Of all the possibilities, the one issue drivers tell CBS News Detroit that would be helpful on this busy roadway is better traffic flow.
"Exactly. The traffic is really heavy. I will leave my house really early to avoid traffic, and I return to my house after rush hour," said Zaida Lakotish.
"We value what our residents and visitors have to say about corridors. They're the ones that are ultimately going to be driving and using this, and so we don't want to put something out there that's not going to get used or not going to be appreciated. In the en,d we do these projects to improve our community, that's the overall goal here," Donoghue stated.
You can learn more on the city's website about how to take part in the survey.
As far as the next steps, the city will compile all the information and present it at a traffic committee meeting on May 27 at 6:30 p.m., where public comment will be welcomed.
Donoghue says the committee will provide a recommendation at the meeting, and those ideas will be presented to the Royal Oak City Commission for final direction on the project.
