Rochester, Rochester Hills

Schools coordinate plans for Tienken traffic

By Linda Shepard
C & G Staff Writer

ROCHESTER HILLS — City and school district officials are asking parents to have their children take the bus to school to avoid contributing to traffic congestion on Tienken Road. 

Tienken is currently closed to all through traffic east of Sheldon Road while the bridge over Stoney Creek is replaced. The bridge completion date has been moved from Sept. 7 to early November. Students attending North Hill Elementary, Hugger Elementary, Hart Middle School, Stoney Creek High School and Holy Family will be affected.

“We know it’s going to affect 30 different bus routes, and we’re working with the bus staff and city staff to come up with alternative routes,” said Debbi Hartman, Rochester Community Schools’ director of communications. “We’ve been working very closely with the cities of Rochester and Rochester Hills to ensure that we have a safe and efficient route for our kids.”

“Having fewer cars dropping off students at the buildings will help relieve congestion,” states a letter from Rochester Community Schools’ officials to parents.         

“It’s not a big deal for us in terms of coming up with the different routes,” Hartman said. “It may be an inconvenience for families. They’ll probably see more traffic congestion in that area once we have school traffic and regular morning commute traffic. It’s going to be a challenge, and we hope everyone is patient and watches out for the safety of our kids.”

School officials say the area will see increased police patrols and speed tracking devices to remind drivers to use caution. Additional detour signs have been posted, and more will be erected as the need arises.

“Obviously, student safety is an extremely high priority,” said Capt. Michael Johnson of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office’s Rochester Hills substation.

The construction delay is due to an unstable slope at the northeast corner of the bridge. The slope is “much more unstable than anticipated,” said Craig Bryson, spokesperson for the Road Commission for Oakland County. As a result, a redesign of the bridge wing wall was necessary, Bryson said.

Until the project is completed, Tienken Road will remain closed between Sheldon and Washington roads. The detour route for Tienken traffic is Dequindre Road to Avon Road to Rochester Road/Main Street and back to Tienken, and vice versa.

Residents on nearby roads have seen traffic increase during the Tienken Road closure. Jim Colbert, who lives on Mead Road, said traffic is twice what it was before the bridge replacement began.

“We are getting a lot of cut-through traffic,” Colbert said. “Mead is a dirt road, and all the traffic is local.”

Colbert said police officials recently put a mobile speed-tracking unit on Mead, limiting the speed limit to 25 mph. 

Johnson said the tracking unit should not have posted the limit at 25 mph.

“It was put there originally because of complaints from residents about people traveling too fast on the road,” Johnson said. “It should not have had a speed limit sign on it. It should have just shown what your speed is.”

Currently, state law mandates a 55 mph speed limit for gravel roads. In 2006, state legislation removed 25 mph limit signs from gravel roads, stating drivers frequently disregarded the 25 mph speed limits, creating a false sense of security for residents.

A precast, three-sided concrete bride supporting an asphalt roadway will replace the former two-lane Tienken bridge over Stoney Creek. The new structure will include two 12-foot traffic lanes, paved shoulders and a 7 1/2-foot-wide asphalt sidewalk on the south side separated from traffic by a railing.

The former bridge, built in 1940, is being replaced because it had significant structural deterioration. The area is located in historic Stoney Creek Village, near the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm.

“That whole area is a historic district,” said Rochester Hills City Engineer Paul Davis. “They are playing it safe,” Davis said about the Road Commission. “Unfortunately, the road will not be done before school opens.”

The delay has pushed the replacement of the Parkdale Road bridge to 2011. The Parkdale project was planned to begin at the completion of the Tienken Road bridge. A detailed new schedule for the Parkdale bridge replacement has not yet been established, Bryson said.

The cost of the two bridge replacements is estimated at $2.2 million, paid for by a combination of state, federal, county and city funds. Dan’s Excavating Inc. of Shelby Township is performing all of the work.          

School officials will communicate with parents about any changes to bus stops or bus pick-up or drop-off times. Those with questions about bus routes should contact Rochester Community Schools’ Transportation Department at (248) 726-5925.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Linda Shepard at lshepard@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1065.