Traverse City staff, engineers recommend guardrail and signage changes after repeated crashes on West Front Street

City engineering staff and traffic consultants told the Traverse City City Commission during a Feb. 24 study session that a combination of guardrail and improved signage and pavement markings would reduce the risk of serious injuries on a curved 500-foot section of West Front Street west of Madison Street.

Anne Pagano, city engineer, said the safety study by Hubbell, Roth & Clark (HRC) documented nine reported crashes in the area since 2019, including a Dec. 21, 2023 crash in which an eastbound vehicle left the roadway and struck a porch; that crash produced a minor injury classification. "There have been nine reported crashes in this area since 2019," Pagano said, and HRC recommended countermeasures aimed at both preventing run-off-road events and protecting bystanders if a vehicle departs the roadway.

The study, prepared for the city in July 2024 following a March 2024 contract with HRC, evaluated options that included signing upgrades, dynamic speed signs, pavement markings, street lighting, and roadside barriers. HRC traffic engineers recommended installation of guardrail on the north side of the road at the curve because, they said, guardrail is a semi-rigid device that more reliably redirects departing vehicles back into the travel lane. "Guardrails successfully redirect vehicles back into the roadway," HRC traffic engineer Jordan Hankin said, adding that other barrier types are either too rigid or deflect too much to be appropriate at this location.

HRC staff also told commissioners that some existing roadside objects — planters and bollards protecting a utility pole in the median — do not meet breakaway-device standards and are not in locations that would protect vehicles or bystanders. The consultants recommended removing or relocating those objects where feasible and using breakaway devices or guardrail where shielding is required.

Commissioners raised alternatives and concerns. Commissioner Mitch said the study shows the road geometry meets standard practice and that additional signage and pavement markings could add redundancy, but he pressed staff and HRC to pursue urban street treatments rather than what he described as a "highway" approach. "Iwant something that's the urban context," Mitch said, arguing for bollards, granite blocks or other features that both slow traffic and preserve the streetscape. Tim, another commissioner, asked the city attorney to prepare a legal opinion on potential city liability tied to allowing noncompliant objects in the right of way, such as the existing planters.

Resident Jeff Erickson, who lives at 1214 West Front Street, urged the commission to prioritize safety over aesthetics. "There are crashes, I would say, at least every couple weeks that go unreported," Erickson said, describing near-misses and unreported nighttime spins. Another resident, Justin, noted that signage farther up the corridor may be under county jurisdiction and referenced the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) in recommending that signage and pavement markings follow accepted national guidance.

City staff said that if the commission supports the recommendations the item will return at the next regular meeting for a vote and that implementation funds would come from the citys traffic-calming fund. Staff also said they would provide cost estimates for treatments requested by commissioners (guardrail, pavement and paint costs, and longer-lasting traffic-calming measures), and would seek relevant data such as a recent speed study and any traffic counts the city maintains.

No formal action was taken at the study session. Commissioners directed staff to return with additional information: legal counsels written opinion on liability for noncompliant roadside objects; comparative cost estimates for guardrail versus alternative traffic-calming measures (optical speed bars, delineators, bollards, planted medians); and any available speed- and volume-monitoring data for the corridor. The commission also asked staff to check whether portions of the approach are within the Grand Traverse County Road Commissions purview for signage.

The presentation and questions combined engineering analysis with neighborhood testimony about unreported crashes and local traffic behavior. Staff emphasized that the study sought redundancy: improved signage and striping to warn drivers first, followed by a physical barrier as a last-resort mitigator where clear zones cannot be provided.

The commission will consider the item at its next regular meeting after staff compiles the requested legal, financial and technical follow-up information.