Northwestern Highway Connector Project
Oakland
County
LSL was involved in two projects to help manage
transportation needs along and near the Orchard Lake Road
Corridor in Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield Township,
Michigan.
The Northwestern Highway Connector Project. LSL was a
key member of a consultant team to evaluate
potential improvements to the major arterials in the area.
An extensive technical evaluation and public involvement
effort resulted in the following recommendations:
- Modern
roundabouts at many key intersections (Barry Croun,
a renown roundabout designer from Great Britain was a
member
of the consultant team)
- A median along Orchard Lake
Road
- Access Management
- Select widening along other corridors
- Pathways along
all major roads
- Focus on context sensitive design and
aesthetics
The award winning Orchard Lake Road Corridor Plan was
the second LSL project for this area. Orchard Lake Road
has developed with an intense mixture of uses,
including many retail centers. Areas to the west have developed
with primarily residential uses most of the traffic from
this area is funneled along Orchard Lake Road to its intersection
with I-696. As a result the corridors in the area have
high crash rates and are heavily congested during peak
hours. The overall area contains many high quality wetlands
and other features that contribute to the character, but
are also a constraint to potential road improvements.
This plan took the general design recommendations of the
traffic study to the next level. Led by a committee of
local and road agency representatives; the consultant team
created a detailed corridor design plan. Specific recommendation
are included
for various segments of the corridor to reflect the personality
of each- natural, urban, suburban. Design and form based
guidelines are included for redevelopment sites. The project
won awards from both the Michigan Association of Planning
and American Society of Landscape Architects.
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