Huron Parkway-Nixon Road Improvement Project 

Project Overview

The Huron Parkway – Nixon Road Improvement project includes the reconstruction of Nixon Road from Plymouth Road to Aurora Street, and partial reconstruction of Huron Parkway from Plymouth Road to a point just east of Nixon Road.

Improvements at Nixon Road South of Huron Parkway Road intersection include:

• Complete reconstruction of the street and addition of new storm sewer and water quality control storm sewer structures;
• On-street bike lanes on both sides and a new mid block crossing with a refuge island;
• Two new bus pull-outs with shelters and a right turn lane to Plymouth Road shopping center;
• New sidewalks and LED energy efficient street lights.

Improvements North of the Huron Parkway intersection include:

• Road resurfacing;
• New pedestrian crossing at the Aurora Street intersection.  

Improvements at Huron Parkway east of Nixon Road include:

• Partial reconstruction of the street;
• Transition from a five-lane traffic flow at the Plymouth Road intersection to a two-lane traffic flow at the Nixon Road intersection; 
• A new bike lane; 
• New on-street parking and the bus-stop on the south side of the street will benefit park-and-ride customers, who may currently have their cars towed away if parked all day at the adjacent shopping centers. 

The full reconstruction of the intersection will include:

• The installation of a modern roundabout;
• Refuge islands at all four pedestrian crossing points;
• Lighted pedestrian crossing overhead signs;
• Rumble strips at each approach to the intersection;
• ADA ramps; ○ New sidewalk;
• New landscaping.

The modern roundabout designed for this intersection includes one central and four splitter islands to guide the vehicular traffic, and refuge islands for the safety of the pedestrian traffic crossing the streets near the intersection. The roundabout operation involves one lane of traffic moving around a central island where the entering traffic yields to the traffic in the roundabout. Pedestrians cross the streets at roughly a two-car-length distance from the roundabout, where there are refuge islands and where the crossing distance is much shorter, crossing just one direction of traffic at a time. At those locations, automobiles must yield to the pedestrian.

Landscaping:

The installation of the roundabout at the intersection of the Huron Parkway and Nixon Road will require re-alignment of the roads from each side of the intersection. This re-alignment will place the new road or sidewalk in direct conflict with some of the existing tress. We worked with our design consultants and City of Ann Arbor Forestry Department trying to minimize the number of trees which will be impacted. Overall, approximately ten existing trees will be removed. The project’s landscape plan includes planting of over fifty new trees and shrubs along the Huron Parkway, Nixon Road and at the roundabout itself.

Construction Schedule and Staging
Construction is expected to begin in April 2009 and be completed in August of 2009.