Officials Celebrate New Roundabout Opening
COMMERCE TWP. (WWJ) - Authorities with the Road Commission for Oakland County, MDOT and Charter Township of Commerce joined local and state officials to celebrate the opening of the largest roundabout in Oakland county.
The roundabout is located at the intersection of the M-5 connector and Pontiac Trail in Commerce Township.
"On one side you'd see a three-way entry, other side you may see two-lane. And in this case it's something special ... northbound M-5, where it comes up to Pontiac Trial, we've added what we call a slip lane, and that takes traffic out of the roundabout and essentially a free flow," said Dennis Kolar, County Highway Engineer.
- Not sure what you're doing? Check out this cheat sheet on HOW TO DRIVE A ROUNDABOUT (.pdf format) -
The $5 million project will also connect Martin Parkway to the north with Pontiac Trail and M-5.
- (WWJ Photo/Chrystal Knight)
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said this is a big boost for the economy in Commerce Township.
"All this space now, it can be reached by modern highway. The water is already in. It's leveled. It's ready for development," Patterson said.
"A big old sign out here says we're open for business. So, I you'll see, think next time you come out here a year from now, you'll see buildings instead of all that dirt.
Oakland County has 24 roundabouts. That's more than any other county in the state.
"This roundabout will provided much improved traffic flow at this busy intersection while, at the same time, improving motorist safety," stated RCOC Board Chairman Eric Wilson, in a release. Wilson praised the township's efforts to bring the project to this point.
"The township and its Downtown Development Authority (DDA) have worked for many years to bring their vision for this area to reality," Wilson said. "Without the foresight and determination of people like Township Supervisor Tom Zoner, we would not be here today."
