There is no question that the Innovate Mound project is about improving current road condition along the Mound Road corridor. But, another goal of the project is to ensure that the road serves the future needs of the area as well.
According to Regine Beauboef, project manager and senior vice president of HNTB Corporation, the population in the area is growing and the Innovate Mound project team is focused on how the roadway can continue to serve the community for years to come.
To achieve this goal, project engineers are measuring something called “Level of Service” for most of the major intersections along the corridor. Level of Service is how traffic flows at certain times of the day based on the number of delays experienced by drivers. This information can predict future traffic issues. So, it can be used to determine roadway improvements that will serve the Mound Road community well into the future.
Step 1: Determine existing conditions
The first step in determining Level of Service is to measure existing conditions. To do this, the time it takes to go between two specific points during the peak travel times of the day is measured.
Here are a two of examples of existing driving conditions as of 2019:
Northbound (Stephens Road to West Utica Road):
- M. – 17.5 minutes
- M. – 22.2 minutes
Southbound (West Utica Road to Stephens Road):
- M. – 19.4 minutes
- M. – 20.4 minutes
Step 2: Determine 2050 conditions with no improvements
The next step of this process is to look at what the roadway’s Level of Service would be if they made no improvements at all.
Here are the projections of what those numbers would be for the examples provided above:
Northbound (Stephens Road to West Utica Road):
- M. – 19.8 minutes
- M. – 30.3 minutes
Southbound (West Utica Road to Stephens Road):
- M. – 30.3 minutes
- M. – 25.2 minutes
Step 3: Propose solutions for problem areas
Once existing and projected future conditions are calculated, problem areas can be identified. Then, project team members propose solutions to improve the Level of Service numbers for areas where the predicted future conditions are problematic.
These solutions can include:
- New traffic signal technology
- Signalized crossovers on 16-mile Road
- Continue the fourth lane in each direction from 17 Mile Road to M-59
- Relocate and consolidate crossovers to improve safety
Step 4: Determine new projections
The final step in this process is to look at the predicted conditions for problem areas AFTER the proposed solutions are implemented.
Here are the updated conditions for our examples:
Northbound (Stephens Road to West Utica Road):
- M. – 19.4 minutes
- M. – 21.8 minutes
Southbound (West Utica Road to Stephens Road):
- M. – 21.1 minutes
- M. – 20.7 minutes
“We were able to shave off some minutes,” Beauboef said.
If the traffic optimization solutions proposed by the Innovate Mound project team are implemented at potentially problematic areas as identified by Level of Service studies, it is estimated that the reconstructed Mound Road corridor will serve the community through the year 2050.