Nixon Road improvements to add three roundabouts, protected bike lanes; Phase 1 set to begin May 2025

Chris Wall and John Tanner of engineering firm Wade Trim presented details of the Nixon Road Improvement Project to the Transportation Commission on April 16, 2025. The project will reconstruct roughly 0.8 miles of Nixon Road between Huron Parkway and DeVarn, add three roundabouts (the preferred alternative from a 2017 corridor study), install protected bike lanes and raise crosswalks in key locations, and improve sidewalk connectivity and transit stops.

Wall told the commission that the April bid letting produced favorable pricing and that the city expects some budget savings compared with earlier estimates. The work is packaged into three sequential phases: Phase 1 will be constructed in 2025 (the team hopes to start in May and substantially complete that phase by late August 2025 so it is done before school starts); Phase 2 would begin in spring 2026 and include two additional roundabouts and related pedestrian/bike facilities; and Phase 3 would follow Phase 2 and finish in late 2026.

Traffic during construction will be managed with full detours for each phase; each phase will close a single corridor section to through traffic while maintaining local access where feasible. The planned detour adds about 1.5 miles and five minutes to a through trip along the corridor, the presenters said. Staff will coordinate phasing and traffic control with nearby schools and with the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (AAATA) for bus-stop improvements. Wall and Tanner said bus stops that presently are unimproved will be upgraded as part of the project.

The presenters said design elements aim to further Vision Zero goals by reducing speeds and vehicle idling; Wall noted the project narrows travel lanes, tightens geometry at roundabouts and includes raised crossings and refuge islands to reduce crossing distances and vehicle speeds. The design speed and posted speed were discussed: staff said the design speed is 35 mph while the post-construction posted speed will be 30 mph and that roundabouts and raised crossings are expected to reduce operating speeds below posted limits through the corridor.

Commissioners asked about potential cut-through traffic on smaller streets during construction, enforcement or temporary signage, sight lines at a planned mid-block crossing and coordinated outreach. The project team said they will use speed/volume counters and coordinate with the police department for enforcement where needed, and that they will continue community engagement and school coordination as work proceeds.

Questions and community outreach materials will be posted on the project website; residents can sign up for weekly construction e-mails (the project team said about 1,800 people are already on the mailing list).