ACHD's Road Wizard
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Northbound left-turn on Ten Mile Road to Franklin Road still works better with only one of two turn lanes open -- for now; new-style pedestrian button replaced at Cherry Lane and Ten Mile Road; road patching will have to be redone by utility contractor on Amity Road between Locust Grove Road and Meridian Road.
The Road Wizard Replies
Dear Road Wizard: When traveling northbound on Ten Mile Road and going left to Franklin Road, there is room for two lanes to take a left, but one is blocked by the "candlestick" reflectors. Now that the Franklin construction is done, can they remove the candlesticks and allow two turn lanes to turn onto the two new lanes? In commute traffic, it backs up unnecessarily and this could help ease the northbound flow of traffic.
Mark
Road Wizard:
Residential and commercial development is expected to gradually eat up the farmland around Ten Mile and Franklin, thanks in some measure to the construction of the Ten Mile/Interstate 84 interchange several years ago.
The Ten Mile and Franklin intersection was expanded in conjunction with the interchange project. Now that Franklin has been widened from Ten Mile to Black Cat Road, it would seem most efficient to finally open that second left-turn lane from northbound Ten Mile to Franklin.
Except that it isn't. Right now the one open left-turn lane has a flashing yellow arrow signal, which allows drivers to turn during breaks in oncoming traffic. If the second left-turn lane was opened, the yellow arrow signal would be removed. Flashing yellow arrows aren't used in dual left-turn layouts because a second turning vehicle can block a driver's view of oncoming traffic.
Without the yellow arrow, drivers would have to wait for a green arrow signal all of the time. For the evening commute, the change wouldn't do much to help traffic flow based on current traffic volumes and computer traffic simulations. Opening the second lane would actually increase wait times for drivers during all other times of the day.
The additional traffic expected with upcoming development along Ten Mile will eventually tip the scales, and that's when the second lane will open.
Dear Road Wizard: The crosswalk push button for westbound foot traffic on Cherry Lane at Ten Mile Road, on the northeast corner, does not work. It is the new version with the red light in the button.
Anonymous
Road Wizard:
The new push buttons are electric and don't have the older-style mechanical components. The days of watching an impatient pedestrian pound the buttons over and over are numbered.
But the new buttons can also malfunction. This one was replaced and should now be working properly.
Dear Road Wizard: I read the inquiry from "Garry" on November 19. After reading it I had to ask about Amity Road. Work was done last spring and a patch paving done. The patching that goes from Locust Grove Road to Meridian Road is so bad it jerks your car around. I have a Tahoe, not a small car, and I still get thrown around. This isn't safe. Can this be looked into and hopefully fixed?
Cyndi
Road Wizard:
"Garry" asked about a section of Amity that had been torn up for utility trenching work and then patched, then torn up again. He wondered who paid for the work, the utility company or taxpayers.
This new question is similar in that the digging up of the road was also done by a utility company. The contractor has been notified that repairs are necessary, and they will have to pay for them. Unfortunately, the only repairs that can be done right now involve cold-weather patching. Permanent road-smoothing asphalt application will have to take place in warmer weather.
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