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Sterling Heights is banning left turns onto northbound Schoenherr Road from the shopping plaza at the northwest corner of 15 Mile Road and Schoenherr.
Photo provided by the city of Sterling Heights
STERLING HEIGHTS — Officials have approved a measure to protect motorists near the busy intersection of 15 Mile and Schoenherr roads on the city’s east side.
On March 17, the Sterling Heights City Council OK’d a traffic order eliminating left-hand turns from the shopping plaza at the northwest corner of the intersection onto northbound Schoenherr.
That action, along with a forthcoming “roadway design modification” that will further discourage left turns, “is expected to substantially reduce crashes at this location and represents a proactive step forward in advancing our Vision Zero commitment to safer roadways,” Sterling Heights Police Lt. Aaron Susalla said in a memorandum that was included in City Council meeting agenda materials.
According to the memo, a five-year crash analysis by the city’s Traffic Calming Task Force showed that “the southernmost driveway of the plaza located on the northwest corner of 15 Mile Road and Schoenherr Road, exiting onto Schoenherr Road, accounted for 20 crashes — the highest concentration of crashes in the surrounding area.”
Susalla, who heads the police department’s Traffic Safety Bureau, said addressing safety concerns at the intersection has been an ongoing concern and has included a number of studies and a community town hall.
“This has been a very hot topic for our task force and our department,” Susalla said at the March 17 meeting.
Councilwoman Maria Schmidt called the 15 Mile and Schoenherr crossroads “one of the most dangerous intersections in our city” and said she appreciates the new safety measures coming to the area.
In addition to the left-hand turn ban, Susalla said the second phase for the site will be installing a “pork chop” at the exit driveway, which he described as “a raised concrete island that essentially will force the individuals that are leaving the plaza to make a right-hand turn only.”
The “pork chop” will also deter motorists travelling north on Schoenherr from attempting left turns into the plaza.
Councilwoman Barbara Ziarko, who lives near the area, said the new traffic order “will be a solution for the shopping center,” but said other hazards at the intersection remain and asked officials to continue working on safeguards for the site.
