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  • A vehicle waits to turn left from Hall Street on to West Front Street in downtown Traverse City Thursday afternoon. Record-Eagle/Bill O'Brien

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August 17, 2012

City to change both ends of Hall to improve traffic flow

By Bill O'Brien bobrien@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — The city will tweak both ends of Hall Street to improve traffic flow at two busy downtown intersections.

The city will create left-turn lanes at Hall Street's north end at Grandview Parkway and where it intersects with West Front Street. A handful of parking spaces near the intersections will be removed to alleviate traffic back-ups that create delays for Bay Area Transportation Authority bus routes from its transfer station on Hall Street.

BATA officials approached the city last month requesting it prohibit left turns from Hall Street both to Front Street and the parkway. Motorists waiting to turn left at either end of the street can clog traffic and create delays for busses that turn right at the intersections, officials said.

"It's a problem for us because traffic backs up and throws us off," BATA Executive Director Tom Menzel said. "It's serious at both ends."

City officials stopped short of banning left turns from Hall Street. They instead decide to demarcate separate left- and right-turn lanes at the parkway, and a left-turn and a right-turn through lane at West Front. City engineer Tim Lodge said prohibiting left turns from Hall Street would be "a pretty big step" and officials want to determine if a more measured approach can alleviate traffic snarls.

"We're going to try to allow more of a free-flowing right turn there," Lodge said. "We'll try that and see if it has an effect."

Lodge said banning left turns from Hall Street could create other unintended problems, particularly for southbound motorists on Hall Street trying to get downtown. He also said the traffic back-ups there aren't constant, and the situation may not warrant a permanent left-turn ban. Removing some parking spots around the intersections should create more room for traffic to maneuver around vehicles waiting to turn.

Striping for the new turn lanes should go in within the next week. City staff will monitor the intersections to see if things improve or if further steps are needed, Lodge said.

"We'll try this," he said. "It's a step in the right direction."

Menzel said creating separate turn lanes should help, but he worries congestion will continue to grow at the intersection because of popularity of events like the National Cherry Festival and Traverse City Film Festival, along with downtown's growth as a tourist destination.

"The dynamics and the demographics have really changed down there," Menzel said. "I do think it's a symptom of what could become a serious problem."

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