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CENTER LINE — The city of Center Line recently completed a “road diet” along Van Dyke Avenue that officials say is intended to improve pedestrian safety, slow speeding traffic and support future mixed-use development in the city’s downtown corridor.
The project reduced Van Dyke from seven lanes to five lanes between Stephens Road and Central Street, making it two travel lanes in each direction with a center turn lane.
Center Line City Manager Dennis Champine said the project had been discussed publicly for years through meetings and discussions led by the city’s Downtown Development Authority and supported by the City Council.
“The objective behind the road diet is to slow traffic, calm traffic as they call it, and bring speed limits down to the levels they should be driving,” Champine said.
Although the speed limit on Van Dyke in Center Line is 35 mph, Champine said city officials routinely observed drivers traveling as fast as 55 mph or higher through the corridor. The reduction of lanes, he said, compresses traffic, forcing drivers to slow down.
Pedestrian safety was another major factor behind the project, according to Champine, who said the city previously experienced frequent pedestrian-involved crashes along Van Dyke.
“When I arrived here, we were having about one pedestrian accident every few months, and at least one death per year,” Champine said.
Many of those crashes occurred when pedestrians attempted to cross the roadway mid-block rather than at intersections, he said.
To further improve pedestrian access, the city’s DDA recently received a $1.25 million grant through the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and the Transportation Alternatives Program to construct two additional crosswalks along Van Dyke — one north of 10 Mile Road and another just south of it, Champine said.
Since the work was done, many residents have voiced negative opinions regarding delays and inconvenience, which Champine acknowledged.
“That’s understandable, but you know, the many people who are complaining are the ones who are likely to be the ones speeding down Van Dyke,” he said.
Champine added that residents had multiple opportunities to voice their opinions on the project.
Center Line resident Joshua Sharples wondered how the reduced lanes will improve traffic.
“You get issues arising where your goal is better traffic flow, but how is that going to improve traffic flow if you’re in a bottleneck,” he said. “I’ve seen that escalate to the point where normally I get down Van Dyke like it’s nothing, but now I’m sitting there for 10 to 15 minutes in traffic for no reason at all.”
Sharples added that he has altered his daily commute to avoid Van Dyke.
“I really don’t even touch Van Dyke anymore, especially when it comes to rush hour,” he said.
However, despite most residents being against the lane reduction, resident Allison Burtch said having fewer lanes to cross makes her more likely to walk local businesses.
“So many times I have driven over there instead of walking just because Van Dyke is so dangerous to cross. If I have to sit in traffic an extra cycle when I’m driving because there are less lanes, so be it. It’s worth it,” she said.
Construction began before Memorial Day and was completed shortly after, Champine said.
In addition to safety improvements, Champine said the project aligns with the city’s master plan for the downtown district, which calls for more mixed-use development and a more pedestrian-friendly business environment.
The redesign also creates space for future on-street parking intended to support small businesses along the corridor, many of which lack large parking lots.
As redevelopment occurs in the downtown district, Champine said the city plans to require developers to add landscaping, bump-outs and other pedestrian safety features in portions of the former roadway space.
