| road usually means widening, and the preferred style of widening is a four-lane |
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| residential boulevard such as on Livernois and on Hamlin. A minor arterial road, |
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| collector road, or local road all are two lane roads with possibly passing and left turn |
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| lanes where needed. Regarding the general effect of road widening on property |
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| values, the Chair explained that appraisers can be found to support both sides of the |
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| issue so any discussion tonight would be fruitless. A previously proposed interchange |
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| between Livernois and M-59 has been scrapped because developments have been |
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| approved and built in the way of any possible interchange. What is driving the need to |
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| improve Hamlin Road between Crooks and Rochester is community-generated traffic |
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| looking for a route to M-59. The City has been put on notice that the Canadian |
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| National Railroad (Grand Trunk) has filed papers to abandon the rail line from the |
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| north side of Pontiac through Rochester Hills to a point north of Romeo. The City has |
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| indicated interest in that land for any number of purposes -- a road, bike trail, or |
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| something else. In order to secure interest in that corridor of land the City must |
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| include it in the transportation plan. The computer modeling for congestion and how |
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| traffic will distribute through the community did not assume the rail line would be used |
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| for road purposes. It's only shown on the plan because the city wants to reserve it for |
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| possible future use. Regarding Dequindre and 26 Mile Road, it is the city's |
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| understanding that Dequindre will remain a two-lane road to be paid for by |
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| developments in Shelby Township. It is Mr. Dearing's understanding that Washington |
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| Road has always been master planned for 120 feet. Under the modeling for projected |
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| traffic volumes on Washington Road, it need not be more than two lanes if it is paved. |
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| The Letica bypass in Rochester will come out directly opposite the proposed new high |
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| school. It will be between the museum and the Van Hoosen cemetery. Mr. Dearing |
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| described the proposed unsignalized roundabout which would draw together Runyon |
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| Road, Washington Road and Tienken Road into an intersection. North of M-59 there |
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| is no east-west major arterial road with any continuity across municipal borders. |
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| Regional cooperation has not materialized but is necessary in order to resolve this |
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| need. Mr. Dearing offered to confirm Mr. Stober's understanding of the easement he |
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| The Chair recalled that Member Nowicki had brought a 1977 map to the meeting that |
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| was postponed showing Silver Bell in Oakland Township as being the east-west |
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| connector between the west side of Rochester Hills and Macomb County. That |
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| obviously has not happened. He wanted to alleviate fears that, if any or all of the |
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| transportation plan is approved, bulldozers will appear tomorrow morning, taxes will |
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| go up, and the living experience in Rochester Hills will change. The reality is that the |
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| east-west corridor has been a problem for more than 20 years and many people have |
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| tried to address it; the problem is not going to go away. |
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