Plans for roundabout near Mt. Brighton taking shape

GENOA TWP. − Livingston County road officials identified the intersection of Challis and Bauer roads as a good place for a single-lane roundabout years ago.

With federal and local funding in place, the project is a go for next year.

"Plans are nearly finished," said Steve Wasylk, managing director of the Livingston County Road Commission.

Wasylk said the project will also include rerouting a portion of Challis Road north of the intersection through a decommissioned gravel mine to eliminate a sharp, hilly curve north and west of the intersection.

"We're relocating Challis Road through our gravel pit across from the ski hill," he said. "We don't mine it, but we do own the property. It was always our intention to get a better alignment of Challis. To stay on Challis you have to go up that hill and steep curve. We're going to eliminate that piece."

He said about a quarter mile of Challis Road will be rerouted through the gravel pit.

"Challis goes straight through and then softer curves," he said of design plans, which are still in the works.

What will it cost?

Wasylk said he estimates the roundabout and road rerouting will cost in the ballpark of $3.5 million to $4 million.

Nearly $3 million will be covered by federal aid, including $450,000 in Carbon Reduction Program funds recently awarded by the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments.

Genoa Township will contribute $500,000 and the Road Commission will cover the remainder.

"New last year, the Carbon Reduction Program is kind of a new pot of money that you can apply to projects that reduce carbon emissions," Wasylk said.

Why a roundabout?

Traffic at the intersection, located next to Mt. Brighton Ski Resort, has been increasing for years.

The intersection currently has a stop sign on Challis Road and traffic on Bauer Road does not stop.

"With Crooked Lake being paved and the Latson Road interchange, Challis is a backway between Brighton and Howell. More people are using that, which spurred us to do that roundabout," Wasylk said.

Traffic data from last year shows more than 10,000 motorists a day on average used Bauer Road south of the intersection. More than 8,500 traveled on Challis Road east of the intersection. And more than 4,300 motorists a day travel the sharp curve.

Challis Road connects to Grand River Avenue near the Interstate 96 interchange, and features shopping centers, hotels, assisted living, a movie theater and the University of Michigan Health System's relatively new 297,000-square-foot Brighton Center for Special Care, which opened in 2018.

Maltby Intermediate School and Hornung Elementary School are located less than a mile south on Bauer Road.

Where else could a roundabout go?

Wasylk said road officials plan to prioritize the intersection of Winans Lake and Whitmore Lake roads near U.S. 23 in Green Oak Township south of Brighton for a future roundabout.

"We're waiting for the U.S.-23 flex lane project to get done before that," he said.

Michigan Department of Transportation officials are gearing up to begin extending the U.S. 23 Flex Route to I-96, beginning in the Brighton area this year. Plans include installing roundabouts at the Silver Lake Road interchange, Whitmore Lake Road and Fieldcrest Drive next year, and roundabouts at M-36 the following year.

"We didn't want to do it at the same time," Wasylk said. "Once the flex lane is done will do it."

Contact Livingston Daily reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com. 

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Plans for roundabout near Mt. Brighton taking shape