Q. Why do they keep making the same repair on the Main St./M-14 bridge? It seems to be monthly or even biweekly. Cars are ending up flipped over down the hill all the time. Could plastic barrels filled with water be used to protect the railing?
A. This extremely tight interchange was meant to be temporary. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) had planned to remove it upon Ann Arbor’s completion of the “inner beltway,” a roadway extension of Huron Pkwy., which was to extend to M‐14. That plan was dropped in 1989.
Water-filled barrels would freeze in the winter, but MDOT uses other “attenuators.” However, they wouldn’t work well with the geometry of these ramps.
Recently there has been a spate of accidents, including bad ones involving trucks and fuel spills. MDOT is currently examining options for altering the interchange. A report that detailed possible remedies was published this July. After seeking public and stakeholder comments in September, the department is now preparing a final study report.
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