ROCKFORD, Mich. — Two roundabout construction projects on 10 Mile Road near Rockford are creating road closures and detours affecting commuters and local businesses.
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Kent County began construction on April 6 on its second roundabout at the corner of 10 Mile Road and Pine Island Drive, closing the intersection to vehicles. A third roundabout is scheduled to begin construction in approximately six weeks at 10 Mile Road and Myers Lake Avenue.
"We're taking an existing intersection that was a four-way stop with stop signs, and we're building a commercial-grade roundabout," said Erik Easterly, Kent County Road Commission director of engineering.
The road commission says the roundabouts will be safer and provide better traffic flow compared to four-way stops.
"We're building them to commercial standards. We do the engineering to make sure the turning movements work for the biggest trailers and trucks and trailers and anything that drives on the freeway needs to be able to drive through our intersections," Easterly said.
Local businesses are preparing for the impact. NuVu Fuels, located at the corner of 10 Mile Road and Myers Lake Avenue, will have construction directly in front of their store.
"The intersection has been a problem, we understand that, as the area has grown," said Carson Berger, NuVu Fuels CEO. "The community has been really good to us as a business, and this is something that's going to be helpful for the residents, so that they don't have such congestion in this area."
NuVu Fuels plans to remodel its store during the roundabout construction.
"It's going to be tough for us. The community supported us over the past 10 years. You know, we want to get the word out that we are open. We want people to understand that we'll still have their pizza, we'll still have their gas, and just keep us in mind," Berger said.
Residents are expressing concerns about the detours. Jamie Norton, a neighbor at the Myers Lake intersection, said the construction affects her daily routes.
"This is how we get to Meijer. This is how we get to family. This is how we get to stores. This is how we get from home to work," Norton said. "That's just going to add the 10 minutes back to our route. That's not fun."
Construction on the Pine Island intersection is scheduled to finish in July, while the Myers Lake intersection project is expected to be completed by the end of summer.
The new roundabouts will be Kent County's second and third. They will be built to the same commercial standards as an existing roundabout in Gaines Township.
BELOW IS THE PINE ISLAND AND 10 MILE DETOUR MAP
For more information on the roundabout construction, CLICK HERE.
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