Hill Street Construction

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Notice of Temporary Traffic Control Plan
HILL STREET (S. FOREST TO WASHTENAW)
June 25, 2012 to July 13, 2012 

Location and Limits of Affected Area:
Hill Street between South Forest Avenue and Washtenaw Avenue.

Description of Work:
The Hill Street Resurfacing project includes the full-width repaving of Hill Street. 

Temporary Construction Traffic Control Plan:
For the duration of the construction, only eastbound traffic will be permitted on Hill Street between South Forest Avenue and Washtenaw Avenue, with a signed detour in place for westbound traffic.  

Beginning on June 25, 2012, S. Forest Avenue at Hill Street temporarily will be closed. Southbound S. Forest traffic will be detoured west on S. University Avenue and south on Church Street.

To maintain the safety of all, please reduce speeds and drive cautiously through work zones. 

We thank you in advance for your patience as these necessary public infrastructure improvements are completed.

Project Information:
A project website will be updated weekly and can be found by going to the City’s Website at www.a2gov.org.


Request for Proposal for Re-Imagine Washtenaw

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From the Washtenaw County Finance Department

The Washtenaw County Purchasing Division, on behalf of the Washtenaw County Office of Community & Economic Development, hereby issues a Request for Proposal for a Right of Way Plan, Transit Stop and Design and Multi-Modal Design for Re-Imagine Washtenaw.
The RFP will be available at the following link, and you may download the RFP and any attachments from the County Purchasing Website at: http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/finance/purchasing/online_bids/open_bids.html
Scroll to RFP #6681 and download the document(s).
Completed Bids are due No Later Than 4:00 PM EST on July 13th, 2012, and MUST be turned in at the address above with the required original and hardcopies.

W. William Construction and Detour

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Notice of Temporary Traffic Control Plan
W. WILLIAM STREET (S. FIRST STREET TO S. ASHLEY STREET)
June 21 -22, 2012

Location and Limits of Affected Area:
W. William Street from S. First Street to S. Ashley Street

Description of Work:
The Ann Arbor Railroad will be repairing the railroad tracks crossing William. This work is being done in conjunction with the City of Ann Arbor’s William Street repaving project.

Temporary Construction Traffic Control Plan:
Eastbound traffic will be detoured via S. First Street to Jefferson to Ashley. Westbound traffic will be detoured via Ashley to Liberty to S. First Street. See attached map.

Local access will be maintained. Pedestrian traffic will be maintained.

To maintain the safety of all, please reduce speeds and drive cautiously through work zones.

Help WATS Plan the Next 25 Years of Transportation Improvements

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WATS is beginning development of its 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan for Washtenaw County. To help inform this process, WATS has developed a short Community Values Survey focused on transportation and land use. The survey will be available throughout June and July with public meetings scheduled for August.  Please help us envision the future of Washtenaw County's transportation infrastructure by taking the survey.

WSJ: Tapping 'Big Data' to Fill Potholes

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On June 12, 2012, the Wall Street Journal published an interesting piece on using 'Big Data' to solve traffic problems.  It explores using data from mobile devices and vehicles so that potholes and trafficjams will practially report themselves.  See the original post at the WSJ.

While big data solutions seem useful in large cities, it raises questions about the applicability to smaller metro regions and for solving large scale problems.  Robert Goodspeed (formerly of ArborUpdate) explores some of these issues in a post on Planetizen.

Analysis: Cities with More Walkers, Bike Commuters are Less Obese

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*This article is crossposted from the Governing Magazine website.  Click to see the full article*
Analysis: Cities with More Walkers, Bike Commuters are Less Obese
By: Mike Maciag

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention affirms an alarming trend: we’re fat and not getting any slimmer. An estimated 35 percent of U.S. adults are obese, and another third still maintain weights exceeding those deemed healthy. This doesn’t bode well for governments and individuals paying insurance premiums, especially with the country’s aging population.

But there are antidotes to the problem, and among the best could be sidewalks and bike lanes. The infrastructure not only allows residents to enjoy outdoor recreation and bypass congested roadways, but data shows it delivers slimmer waistlines in some of the nation’s largest metropolitan regions.

A Governing review of census and CDC data finds communities where more residents walk or bike to work boast significantly healthier weights. The analysis of 2010 statistics for 126 metropolitan areas finds these communities arestrongly correlated with higher numbers of residents who are neither obese nor overweight.
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Along with commuting habits, other measures showed statistically significant relationships with healthy weights in the analysis. Healthier metro areas were most closely correlated with the portion of a region’s population holding at least a bachelor’s degree. The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn. metro area, a wealthy region ranking near the top in education attainment, recorded the lowest obesity rate in the CDC's 2010 survey.

Still, the correlation between commuting and residents not considered obese nor overweight was strong--16 percent greater than the relationship with median household income. An area’s average commute time was slightly correlated with weight, but was not statistically significant.
Scatter plot of metro areas' walkers/bike commuters correlated with healthy weights:


The CDC recommends a range of infrastructure for communities to rein in obesity. Bike lanes, shared-use paths and bike racks promote cycling. Urban design with adequate sidewalks, lighting, street crossings and similar features supports walking and other physical activity. The agency also suggests localities work to cut miles driven on roadways.

See the full article (including additional maps, data sources, and charts) at the Governing Magazine website.

East Stadium Traffic Control Update

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Notice of Updated Temporary Traffic Control Plan from the City of Ann ArborE. Stadium Improvement Project-Phase IA
June 18, 2012 to July 9, 2012

Location and Limits of Affected Area:E. Stadium Blvd. between Packard Road and Brockman Blvd.

Description of Work:
The E. Stadium Improvement Project includes the installation of new 8-inch water mains on north and south sides of the street between Packard and Brockman and resurfacing of the E. Stadium Blvd. from Packard Rd. to Washtenaw Ave. The construction includes four major phases, where Phase I includes the installation of the new water main along the north side of E. Stadium Blvd. between Packard and Brockman, Phase II includes the installation of the new water main along the south side of E. Stadium Blvd. between Packard and Brockman, and Phases III and IV will resurface the pavement along the north and south sides of E. Stadium Between Brockman and Washtenaw

Updated Temporary Construction Traffic Control Plan:
This notification adds a sub-phase to the Phase I traffic control already in effect on E. Stadium Blvd. Phase IA is scheduled to begin on Monday June 18, 2012, after the end of 2012 school year. With the Phase IA traffic control, the southbound traffic on Brockman Blvd. between the Shadford Rd. and E. Stadium Blvd will be directed west on Shadford Rd. and then south on Harding Rd. to E. Stadium Blvd. Pedestrian traffic will be maintained during this phase of construction.
 

Learn the U of M Bus System with Billy Magic

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Midterms, dorm life, and Friday morning classes are a few from the long list of hurdles that a new student faces at the University of Michigan. But thanks to a new video from student run Filmic Productions, they can cross learning the bus system off that list.  In this comedy filled romp through Ann Arbor, Billy Magic introduces new UM student, The Kid, to transportation alternatives on campus.  The video will be shown to all students at New Student Orientation.  Check out the video below.