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City of Ann ArborHuron Parkway-Nixon Road Intersection Improvement ProjectAPWA Project of the Year Award

Mayor: John HieftjeCity Administrator: Roger FraserProject Management Unit Director: Homayoon Pirooz, PE

City of Ann Arbor

Project DetailsProject:City of Ann Arbor Huron Parkway-Nixon Road Intersection Improvement Project

Client: City of Ann Arbor

Project Timeline:

Study: October 2006 - March 2007

Design: March 2007 - November 2007

Construction: April 2009 - July 2009

Project Cost:$1.87M

Contractor: Pamar Enterprises, Inc.

Consulting Engineers:OHM (Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment, Inc.)

Subconsultant:

TES, PC Geotechnical investigation, Pavement recommendation

Project DescriptionThe City of Ann Arbor undertook the Huron Parkway-Nixon Road Intersection Improvement Project to increase safety, enhance the intersection’s aesthetics and improve its operational efficiency for both motorized and non-motorized users. The project consisted of the reconstruction of Nixon Road from Huron Parkway to Plymouth Road as well as the construction of a modern roundabout at the Huron Parkway/Nixon Road intersection. 

Project DetailsThe Huron Parkway- Nixon Road Improvement project included 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 included:

• 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 included:

• Road resurfacing

• New pedestrian crossing at the Aurora Street intersection.  

Improvements at Huron Parkway east of Nixon Road included:

• 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.

Project Details continued

The full reconstruction of the intersection included: 

• 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.

Stakeholder Design ConsiderationsThe design evaluated and incorporated  the overall needs of the traveling public, including public bus transportation; bicyclists; pedestrians; visually, hearing or physically impaired users; commercial vehicles; and commuting motorists.  The intersection  is frequented daily by a  large number of senior citizens who live in the area and commute by foot. Individuals with sight and mobility impairments also reside in the project’s vicinity.

Completion Date Project was completed on time and under a very aggressive schedule. Construction began April 2009 and concluded July 2009. Construction was completed in 2009 and was bid through the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Local Agency Programs. OHM provided full construction engineering services during the construction phase of the project to meet City of Ann Arbor and MDOT project specifications for project documentation and eligible funding reimbursement from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The project’s contractor, Pamar Enterprises, Inc., met all MDOT standards during construction, a more rigorous measure than is typically used in community-led projects.

The Huron Parkway-Nixon Road Intersection Improvement Project had a daunting objective: construct a new type of intersection in the midst of a high traffic, high pedestrian area as quickly as possible. Construction  was complete in less than three months and took place in 5 stages. Each stage was designed to allow for safe vehicular and pedestrian traffic movement.

The Construction Engineer and the Contractor collaborated daily to expedite the construction. The team used a concept they termed “continuous production” to consistently drive the project toward completion. At times, the construction work involved as many as eight subcontractors, all contributing harmoniously. The project team’s Construction Engineer and the general contractor’s Project Manager met each morning to create a 5-day forecast, spending time poring over the plans to ensure that all impacts were considered. Through this meticulous review and planning, the team saved precious time by eliminating delays and even restaging a portion of the project to combine two elements into one.

Construction Schedule, Management and Control Techniques Used

Safety PerformanceThe Huron Parkway - Nixon Road Intersection Improvement project’s safety record is notable. During the months of fast-tracked construction, in a highly traveled area, there were no reported injuries from either construction workers or the public. Knowing that the volume of traffic, pedestrians and individuals with special needs would be significant, the project team assiduously monitored construction activities to minimize risk. Construction crews installed paved temporary pedestrian detour paths, lined with plastic orange safety fencing. Knowing that a particular handicapped couple traversed the project area daily, the construction Project Manager met them each trip and walked the site to explain any detour changes.

Environmental ConsiderationsThe Huron Parkway - Nixon Road Intersection Improvement incorporated a number of environmental considerations.

• New bike lanes to encourage non-vehicular travel. The roundabout itself also includes bicycle access lanes, which allow the rider to walk the bicycle through the roundabout, rather than ride on the street as a vehicle.

• Eco-friendly LED lights were installed at the roundabout and the adjoining streets. These low energy lights illuminate the entire intersection with only 80 amps of power.

• Roundabouts themselves are more environmentally friendly than conventional intersections. The continuous traffic patterns minimize vehicle idling, which reduces emissions.

A Stormceptor 450i structure was installed to treat stormwater near Plymouth and Nixon roads. This treatment system will decrease the amount of pollutants, keeping the groundwater cleaner.

The installation of the roundabout at the intersection of the Huron Parkway and Nixon Road required re-alignment of the roads from each side of the intersection. This re-alignment placed the new road or sidewalk in direct conflict with some of the existing trees. OHM and City of Ann Arbor Forestry Department worked to minimize the number of trees impacted. Overall, approximately ten existing trees were removed. The project’s landscape plan included planting over fifty new trees and shrubs along the Huron Parkway, Nixon Road and at the roundabout itself.

Beauty in Public Works

“There is nothing in machinery, there is nothing in embankments and

railways and iron bridges and engineering devices to oblige them to be

ugly. Ugliness is the measure of imperfection.” ~H.G. Wells

Community RelationsThe project included an aggressive and comprehensive public outreach process for the roundabout component of the project. The project team held focus groups and public meetings to launch the project and to educate the stakeholders for the City’s first roundabout.

The Nixon/Huron area combines high vehicle traffic with high pedestrian traffic. The area population includes large number of multinational and elderly residents, as well as a number of individuals with impairments. Two mini-malls, an elder care facility and an Ann Arbor Transit Authority bus stop are located in close proximity to the project site. Creating a safer and greener thoroughfare for residents and visitors was the City’s primary objective. To achieve this, the project team held four public meetings during the design phase. The first meeting to kick off the project, in which City officials invited the public to discuss ideas for better accommodating stakeholders, was held more than two years before construction started. One public meeting included Chinese and Russian translators. The project team also met with area business owners several times before construction began.

Prior to starting the design, OHM’s Manager of Traffic Engineering Services traveled with several visually impaired people to a roundabout in Okemos to gain insight on ways to improve Ann Arbor’s roundabout design to be more pedestrian friendly, especially for those with impairments. As a result of this focus, the designers included a first-of-its-kind innovation: pavement corrugations or “rumble strips” before all pedestrian crossings in the roundabout’s travel lanes. These grooves serve as an audible cue to both pedestrians and drivers. All the pedestrian crossings were marked with large signs mounted on mast arms. The cross walk signs are lighted from underneath to shine onto the cross walk. Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights were installed to illuminate the roundabout.

OHM led the design team at all public meetings, and created all content for the meetings. The project team provided detailed responses to over 100 questions, posted on the City’s webpage.

City of Ann Arbor, MIHuron Parkway/Nixon Road Intersection Improvement Project

Client Contact InformationCity of Ann Arbor, MIIgor Kotlyar, PE, Senior Project Engineer7349946087P.O. Box 8647Ann Arbor, MI

481078647

Before

Project FundingFunding for this project  was a combination  of federal, state and local  funds. Federal funds came from a Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ)  grant.  State funds came from  the Surface Transportation Fund (STPU).  The local share came from the City of Ann Arbor Street Millage. 

Project Success When asked the secret formula for such a successful project, the design consultant, general contractor and project owner all credit their shared purpose: to improve the quality of life for the stakeholders. Putting the best practices of public works professionals – thorough planning, community relations, project management, safety and environmental performance – to work on this project realized the highest ideal of the public works in our society.

“The engineer, and more generally the designer, is concerned with how things

ought to be - how they ought to be in order to attain goals, and to function.” ~Herbert Simon (American mathematical social scientist 1916-2001)

OHM | 34000 Plymouth Road | Livonia, Michigan 48150 | www.ohm-advisors.com

City of Ann Arbor | 100 N. Fifth Avenue | Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104

Helping Build Better Communities for Tomorrow

Contact: Igor V. Kotlyar, P.E., Senior Project Engineer

Contact: Evan Pratt