[Southsider2k12]

I actually saw this being discussed on another person's facebook page and had to go check it out for myself. If you view the just downloaded photo below, you will see that at Michigan Blvd and 9th St there is a left hand turn being constructed to an intersection that is a one way street going the opposite way.

[Ang]

Looks like a good spot for the cops to hang out and meet their ticket quota.

Actually, I wonder how many out of towner's will try to go that way on their way to the mall?

[MCRogers1974]

The turning lane was probably built for future flexibility - - the other street may not always be one way. I suppose they could simply put stripes across the turning lane indicating the lane is not in use.

[Ang]

I believe 9th St has been a one way for as long as it's been 9th St. My thought was u-turns

[Tim]

Wow - that looks pretty stupid. U-turn accessibility is good, but how many clueless dopes are going to head down 9th due to this?

And yes, 9th Street has been one-way since at least the 1950's. I went to St. Paul's church/Sunday School/elementary school so spent a lot of time on that sidewalk waiting for rides.

Could the people who designed this really have been think U-turn?

[southyards]

Wow - that looks pretty stupid. U-turn accessibility is good, but how many clueless dopes are going to head down 9th due to this?

And yes, 9th Street has been one-way since at least the 1950's. I went to St. Paul's church/Sunday School/elementary school so spent a lot of time on that sidewalk waiting for rides.

Could the people who designed this really have been think U-turn?

The designers must have read the same book as the geniuses that designed the bottle-neck at the entrance to the Blue Chip Casino. . . . . . .

[lovethiscity]

The designers must have read the same book as the geniuses that designed the bottle-neck at the entrance to the Blue Chip Casino. . . . . . .

I have already talked to the mayor about this supposed blunder. He said the plan is to make 9th a two way street. I have a house on 9th at Lafayette, there is a weird shift of 9th there and as fast as cars travel I am suprised nobody has been killed yet. Make 9th two way and it will get somebody killed. Plus, kids on the street only look one way (sometimes). What sense does it make? Increased traffic in residential areas? Then again this is the same guy that blocked the lake front with a Library.

[MCRogers1974]

Maybe the U turn theory is correct since U turns are not illegal unless specifically signed as "No U Turn".

[Ang]

After 60+ years of being a one way, they're considering making it a two way???

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[MichiganCityDDS]

I have already talked to the mayor about this supposed blunder. He said the plan is to make 9th a two way street. I have a house on 9th at Lafayette, there is a weird shift of 9th there and as fast as cars travel I am suprised nobody has been killed yet. Make 9th two way and it will get somebody killed. Plus, kids on the street only look one way (sometimes). What sense does it make? Increased traffic in residential areas? Then again this is the same guy that blocked the lake front with a Library.

NICE OF THE MAYOR TO TALK ABOUT THIS SO PPL KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON, EH?

[HIaloha]

there's a little blurb in small print in today's paper about this. (A5)

[Southsider2k12]

Hopefully this is true, and this isn't just CYOB. It really seems odd to build a turn lane without knowing that the streets will be changed to adjust.

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/1...940764.txt'

Behemoth Blvd.

Motorists manuever through Michigan Boulevard that is under construction as seen in this photo looking north. Photo by Bob Wellinski
Construction’s lane changes cause some confusion
By Alicia Ebaugh
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 5:11 PM CST
MICHIGAN CITY — Michigan Boulevard has become a seemingly haphazard sea of construction barrels, and with the traffic configuration changing every week, it’s even harder to figure out exactly which lanes are open for use. But those changes are the only way to keep traffic flowing while the boulevard is under construction, city officials said.

“It is a little confusing out there, but our only alternative would be to close entire sections of the boulevard at a time. We didn’t think that would be a good idea,” said city engineer Boyd Phelps, who is in charge of overseeing the $10 million project to rehabilitate Michigan Boulevard from U.S. 12 to Carroll Avenue. That price tag includes the addition of the Charles R. Westcott Gateway Park at U.S. 12 and Michigan Boulevard.

Woodruff and Sons, a Michigan City-based contracting firm, is in charge of repaving the road and redoing the medians, Phelps said. In order to allow the repaving to take place and leave at least one lane open in each direction, Woodruff and Sons has had to grade one traffic lane at a time. That’s why the open traffic lanes continually change, Phelps said.

“It wasn’t meant to antagonize people, that’s for certain,” he joked. “I even found myself in the wrong lane once. People just really need to be attentive and watch where the traffic is flowing.”

*
No matter how discombobulating the construction may be, the number of crashes happening on the boulevard isn’t being affected by it, said Michigan City police Lt. Jeff Loniewski. In 2009, 79 crashes were reported on Michigan Boulevard, compared with 68 crashes through the first 10 months of this year, he said.

“Other than people disregarding the barrels and driving into the left lanes to turn, we haven’t seen many problems,” he said.

Police reports did indicate uneven intersection crossings have caused problems for a few residents’ tires, leaving them flat or with bent rims as their vehicles bumped across sections of asphalt that varied in height. Phelps said he also received a complaint about the bumpy crossings, but as the intermediate portion of asphalt replacement wraps up, he said the lanes have become more even. That portion should be completed by Dec. 1; however, the right edge of each side of the road will be left unpaved to provide for the curbs to be extended out.

“We are shooting to have two lanes open in each direction for the winter, but they may still leave barrels around the medians to protect them,” Phelps said. “If the weather is nice enough, hopefully they can do more median work.”

In the spring, Phelps expects the contractors will finish the medians, including the installation of 2-foot-tall planters for trees and other native plants along several blocks. The final coat of asphalt on the road will be the last thing completed before the project’s deadline in September 2011.

The phantom turn lane

Recently, a curb cut was built for northbound traffic to turn left onto East Ninth Street from the boulevard — but two “Do Not Enter” signs are clearly posted there.

“We’re aware that Ninth Street is one-way right now, but it will become two-way at the end of this project,” said city engineer Boyd Phelps.

Ninth Street is currently one way to the east from Franklin Street to Michigan Boulevard. The Board of Public Works and Safety has not yet approved the change, said city planner John Pugh, but that will likely happen.

“We looked at the capacity and width of the street and decided it makes sense to have traffic there in both directions,” Pugh said. “It will be a good artery for traffic between Michigan Boulevard and Franklin Street. We just didn’t want to have to come back and knock out the median again to do it.”