Sprawl: Cutting off the working poor in Detroit

417deer · March-06-16, 02:42 PM

The time to make the millage work is before the vote not after.

417deer · March-06-16, 03:06 PM

The time to make the millage work is before the vote not after. I live and work on Michigan avenue, so I want Mr. Ford to sign my petition or come up with a better idea.

I'm asking for SMART and DDOT to share routes and timetables and use multiple revenue sources to provide frequent service where ridership can justify this.

**Vic01** · March-06-16, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

But people who choose to live in Metro Detroit don't choose to live here because they want to drive on 20 lane expressways...

Can anyone give an example of a Metro-Detroit expressway/freeway that is more than 3 or 4 lanes each way? I think that there are only 4 lanes on 696, but I could be wrong. Sure there are short stretches where two [[or more) merge into one "mixing bowl"... but these are not the expressway itself.

**313WX** · March-06-16, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by Vic01

Can anyone give an example of a Metro-Detroit expressway/freeway that is more than 3 or 4 lanes each way? I think that there are only 4 lanes on 696, but I could be wrong. Sure there are short stretches where two [[or more) merge into one "mixing bowl"... but these are not the expressway itself.

I-275 from I-96 to I-696 is 5 lanes wide.

Also, the express and local lanes combined on I-96 are 5 lanes wide.

**dtowncitylover** · March-06-16, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by Vic01

Can anyone give an example of a Metro-Detroit expressway/freeway that is more than 3 or 4 lanes each way? I think that there are only 4 lanes on 696, but I could be wrong. Sure there are short stretches where two [[or more) merge into one "mixing bowl"... but these are not the expressway itself.

Well one, I hope you got that I was exaggerating.

And second, Jeffries Freeway at its widest with 3 lanes for each direction's local and express lanes...each. For the life of me, I don't know why the Jeffries ever got express/local. Can anyone explain this? Was traffic that bad along this corridor?

417deer · March-06-16, 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

I-275 from I-96 to I-696 is 5 lanes wide.

Also, the express and local lanes combined on I-96 are 5 lanes wide.

http://gizmodo.com/6-freeway-demolit...ver-1548314937

It is best that the top officials of the RTA remove cars from freeways or plan on doing so using proven realistic methods and revenue sources.

I'm inviting them to come to Dearborn and talk to the residents to see how people can use the Michigan Ave bus route as opposed to jumping on the I-94 to attend concerts and sporting events in the downtown area of Detroit.

**Scottathew** · March-07-16, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by Vic01

Can anyone give an example of a Metro-Detroit expressway/freeway that is more than 3 or 4 lanes each way?

I-96 has 6 lanes in each direction. The express and local each have three lanes, and it's contiguous for quite a long distance: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3790.../data=!3m1!1e3

**Vic01** · March-08-16, 02:24 AM

Originally Posted by 313WX

I-275 from I-96 to I-696 is 5 lanes wide.

Also, the express and local lanes combined on I-96 are 5 lanes wide.

"I-275 from I-96 to I-696"... I just drove this stretch [[North bound) and there were only 4 lanes. I think that there's a 5th lane going South [[starts at 6 mile) that is a long approach to enter M-14 West, but I'd consider that part of an interchange [[like the "mixing bowl"), not part of I-275 itself.

As far as "the express and local lanes combined on I-96" go, they are not combined... they have a concrete divider between them, therefore only 3 lanes in my book.

There aren't 5 or 6 lanes of traffic all merging in/out and jockeying for position at the same time on either one. I'm not arguing for more lanes, only stating that what we have aren't that bad or wide". I've driven other places like Atlanta, Chicago, or Los Angeles, that were several times worse... Yet, people want to live there

**Gistok** · March-08-16, 04:04 AM

Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

Well one, I hope you got that I was exaggerating.

And second, Jeffries Freeway at its widest with 3 lanes for each direction's local and express lanes...each. For the life of me, I don't know why the Jeffries ever got express/local. Can anyone explain this? Was traffic that bad along this corridor?

The plan was to complete the Davison Freeway [[from I-94/Conner) all the way to I-96 at the point where the local and express lanes start... so that it would handle the merging of 2 freeways into one LARGER freeway. Barrier or no barrier... I-96 has 6 lanes from Davison to Telegraph in each direction... to handle the double freeway crosstown traffic.

Had the 2 freeways simply merged into a single 6 lane freeway, it would have been a dangerous merging. By making it local/express... it gave 2 merge entries, thus easing the traffic. But since the Davison was never completed beyond the Lodge-to-Conant section, the entire splitting of the I-96 freeway into a local and express freeway was rather a moot point.

By the same token... the I-696/Mound Rd. interchange is a massive freeway interchange... because the M-53 Freeway never progressed south of 18 1/2 Mile Rd. Had it been completed, it would have crossed over Van Dyke Rd. over to Mound and followed down to where it would have connected with the Davison Freeway [[had it been built) into a 3 way interchange at Davison Rd. and Mound Rd. in Detroit. So the I-696/Mound Rd. interchange was the only part of this M-53 freeway extension that was ever completed.

**Scottathew** · March-08-16, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by Vic01

"I-275 from I-96 to I-696"... I just drove this stretch [[North bound) and there were only 4 lanes. I think that there's a 5th lane going South [[starts at 6 mile) that is a long approach to enter M-14 West, but I'd consider that part of an interchange [[like the "mixing bowl"), not part of I-275 itself.

As far as "the express and local lanes combined on I-96" go, they are not combined... they have a concrete divider between them, therefore only 3 lanes in my book.

There aren't 5 or 6 lanes of traffic all merging in/out and jockeying for position at the same time on either one. I'm not arguing for more lanes, only stating that what we have aren't that bad or wide". I've driven other places like Atlanta, Chicago, or Los Angeles, that were several times worse... Yet, people want to live there

I don't see why you wouldn't count local and express together... I don't know of many instances where freeway planners would let a large amount of lanes be undivided, it's a safety issue.

For example, the 401 through Toronto. At many points it has 14-16 lanes, but they are divided up into 4 sections. https://www.google.com/maps/@43.7259.../data=!3m1!1e3

I-96 is 12 lanes for a long stretch, there's no way around that.