Why didn't Ingham County close Waverly Road earlier? Official says crashes had decreased

AURELIUS TWP. – A brief spike and then a decrease in vehicle crashes at an intersection in southern Ingham County led officials to believe drivers had learned to safely navigate the road near a new bridge.

While there were a handful of vehicle crashes at the intersection of Columbia and South Waverly roads immediately after a new truss bridge spanning the Grand River on Columbia Road opened to traffic late last year, they became less frequent after a couple months, Ingham County Highway Department Managing Director Bill Conklin said

"The hope was that people were starting to follow the directions," he said, referring to the location of the stop sign and markings that clearly state to stop further back so the bridge doesn't impede sight lines. 

But not long after a two-vehicle crash on Nov. 17 that resulted in the death of a 64-year-old Eaton Rapids man at Sparrow Hospital from injuries, the county decided to close South Waverly Road and put up a signal. 

There were 10 crashes, including the fatality, in the roughly one year since the bridge was completed. 

Conklin said the department decided the stop sign wouldn't cut it and that the intersection required a higher level of traffic control. He said the onset of winter, bringing potential for slippery roads and less daylight, also prompted the decision.

Aurelius Township Supervisor Larry Silsby said the township had no input in the decision. 

How will the signal help?

A traffic signal will mitigate safety issues at the intersection after it reopens, Conklin said. 

He said the signal likely will inconvenience people traveling through the intersection. 

But installing a signal is far better than both the alternative and the current situation, he said.

"It’s the lesser evil when it comes to people to continuing having accidents," Conklin said. 

The county is in the process of designing and ordering parts for the new signal to better regulate traffic at the intersection. 

More:Rash of crashes, one death prompt road closure where new bridge was built near Mason

More: Eaton Rapids man dies in Saturday crash near Waverly and Columbia Roads

The signal will stop traffic on Columbia Road and provide a protected left turn for traffic from South Waverly Road to Columbia Road.

It will minimize the need for traffic to stop on Columbia Road, which carries about 4,500 vehicles a day, as much as possible.

In comparison, the 1,800 or so vehicles that travel Waverly Road each day will have to wait for a green light and will not be able to turn on red — that would create the same sight issues drivers have now, Conklin said. 

Diane Vogel, who lives near Eaton Rapids and uses the intersection to get to Mason, said while she fears a signal won't completely fix the problem, she thinks that will help, especially with the prohibition of any turn on red. The current configuration is confusing, she said. 

"It’s not intuitive. When you’re driving, it’s intuitive to drive to the intersection," Vogel said. "You go up to the intersection and then you cannot see."

Why a truss bridge?

That inability to see has prompted questions since the bridge opened last year. 

Though residents have taken to social media with criticism and sent emails questioning the bridge design since its installation, Conklin said the truss design was the preferred choice for engineering reasons. 

He said the department didn't want to put supporting piers or columns in the river because constructing underwater foundations risks uncertain outcomes. Design experts also advised avoiding putting piers in the river. 

And the department couldn't re-use the previous piers because it widened the bridge, making it too heavy for the existing piers, and because the weren't designed to resist undermining caused by the erosion of the stream bed. That erosion has resulted in the failure of many older bridges, he said. 

The truss design ensures structural support for the bridge, which extends across a wide portion of the Grand River, without having to put supports in the river itself or increase the road elevation, Conklin said.  

He added the road department knew there would likely be visibility issues but sought to alleviate those by strategically placing a stop sign on South Waverly Road and clearing out trees.

The department has a full technical explanation of why it chose to install a truss bridge on its website, he said. 

Why a signal and not a three-way stop?

Conklin said the department did consider an all-way stop but decided against it because it wouldn't solve the problem.

Traffic on Columbia Road may not see the stop sign for the truss bridge and may have had to come to a stop on an icy bridge in the winter, and people would likely pull up to the same spot on South Waverly Road where they already can't see, he said. 

"At this point, even though it’s going to be less convenient, we think that a signal will help reduce the crash problem," Conklin said. 

Why will it take until spring to install the signal?

The department is working "as rapidly as possible" to get the signal operational and has conservatively estimated that can happen by the spring, though they hope to complete work sooner, he said. 

There's no estimated cost, yet, but Conklin said it typically takes $100,000 to $150,000 to put up a new signal. 

While the road remains closed, the county has posted a detour via Curtice and Onondaga roads. 

Contact reporter Megan Banta (517) 377-1261 or at mbanta@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1