State plans acquisition of county land for Washtenaw Avenue intersection upgrades at Hogback
One of the busiest intersections in the county at Washtenaw Avenue and Hogback Road east of Ann Arbor could soon be getting a safety upgrade from the Michigan Department of Transportation, with the help of a real estate transaction.
Washtenaw County is poised to sell 10,586 square feet of land it owns along Washtenaw Avenue near the intersection in Pittsfield Township to the state at a price of $16,500 so MDOT can complete its project.
A 15-foot-long county-owned sidewalk easement also is up for sale to the state for $2,500.
The measure will go before the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners for final approval at its regular meeting Wednesday night at 201 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor.
The $19,000 in profits from the sale of the land and sidewalk would go in the county’s general fund, which is expected to break even this budget year.
MDOT is planning to make a number of improvements to the intersection, including separate right-turn lanes to keep traffic out of the main artery.
View MDOT's planned intersection improvements in a larger map
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
Comments
treetowncartel
Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 5:10 p.m.
They need to redo this whole area along with 23. Take some of the privately owned property there by emininet domain. The on and off ramps should similar to the ones at US 23 & M - 59 up near Hartland and I-94 and Telegraph. It would also make the area more pedestrian and bike friendly. They are building sidewalks there now, but there is nothing that is going to stop traffic coming on and off the highway for those people. Although, if they install crosswalks on the west side of 23 they would have to stop there since it is in Ann Arbor.
Sooze
Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 12:04 p.m.
What really needs improvement is the entrance ramp onto Northbound 23 on Washtenaw coming from Ann Arbor. Cars enter and exit within the same tiny bridge width and it is often very tight with semis unable to move over to allow merging.
A2comments
Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 10:44 a.m.
Long needed. Would be nice for the property owners there if the work tied in with the current construction ongoing there now.