Intersections to Benefit From AAA Michigan Road Improvement Demonstration Program

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 10, 2003 -- AAA Michigan, St. Clair County, the City of Port Huron, and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) have formed a partnership that will bring badly needed safety enhancements to seven of the county's most dangerous intersections.

The AAA Road Improvement Demonstration Program (RIDP) is an innovative roadway improvement strategy where public and private partners contribute engineering expertise and multi-jurisdictional cooperation toward traffic safety enhancements at targeted high-crash intersection locations.

As part of its commitment to St. Clair County, AAA Michigan has conducted safety audits and made recommendations for a series of safety improvements, targeting six intersections on 24th Street (from Lapeer to Dove) in Port Huron, and the intersection of Gratiot and Range roads in Marysville.

"Twenty-fourth Street is the highest crash corridor in the county," said St. Clair County Road Commission Managing Director Donald M. Maronde. "We are looking forward to implementing intersection improvements that will help prevent crashes and save lives."

Since this first-of-its-kind demonstration program was launched in 1996, RIDP partners have completed safety enhancements to 139 locations in Detroit and 36 in Grand Rapids. An evaluation showed that safety improvements implemented during Phase I of the program reduced total crashes by more than 25 percent and total injuries by more than 40 percent within each of those cities.

The safety enhancements planned for the corridor include re-timed traffic signals, brighter signal heads, dedicated left-turn lanes, larger street signs, improved access management and all-red intervals. Costs are being shared by program partners.

"With the cooperation of city, county and state officials, we are building on our earlier successes in Detroit and Grand Rapids to improve the quality of an aging infrastructure and raise the level of traffic safety in St. Clair County," said Richard J. Miller, Community Safety Services manager for AAA Michigan.

According to Miller, traffic engineering data has shown that sound investments in road improvements at selected sites can reduce crashes and injuries, resulting in substantial societal benefits.

Intersection improvement projects on 24th Street are slated to begin in 2006. Agencies participating in the partnership include: St. Clair County Road Commission, St. Clair County Health Department, St. Clair County Transportation Study, City of Port Huron, Michigan Department of Transportation and AAA Michigan.