Work
has begun on transforming Livernois between Eight Mile and McNichols
Roads into a boulevard. Currently nine lanes wide, the roadbed will be
reduced to two lanes of travel and a dedicated parking lane in each
direction.
City of Detroit Traffic Engineer Sunny Jacob says
the project was prompted by a series of “pedestrian crashes in the
Livernois area [because of] stores on both sides and people crossing a
90-feet wide roadway.” The addition of a boulevard gives pedestrians a
safe haven halfway across the road, and it also has been shown to slow
traffic.
Looking to decrease insurance costs in the city, AAA
Insurance studied the corridor, with results that backed up the
analysis of the Traffic Engineering division of Detroit’s Department of
Public Works, which recommended the narrowing of the roadway. The
analysis also confirmed that two travel lanes in each direction would
be able to handle the capacity of traffic that Livernois carries.
The
project budget is just over $1.4 million and is being funded in large
part by the Michigan Department of Transportation. Jacob notes that
“MDOT bought into the project because they also see a benefit in the
reduction of crashes.” Construction is expected to be complete by
November of this year.
Phase Two will continue the boulevard south to the Lodge freeway.
Source: Sunny Jacob, City of Detroit Department of Public Works
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