A mining operation in Mackinac County utilized state and local roads to transport limestone from the Graymont Mine to the sand products dock along US 2 at the rate of one truck every 10 minutes. The Michigan Department of Transportation improved safety and reduced congestion on this road by coming up with a comprehensive strategy that used an Intelligent Transportation System or ITS to alert drivers and installed right hand turn lanes at both intersections to keep traffic moving – the first system of its kind in the state. It uses overhead sensors to detect when semi-trucks are approaching, activating signs with “Truck Entering Roadway” along US-2 before drivers get to the intersections. The right turn lanes allow trucks traveling east to pull off the highway safely before turning into the dock entrance. Trucks traveling west can safety turn into the entrance of the mine. This $760,000 project reduced the likelihood of traffic incidents while helping drivers safely get where they needed to be.
America's Transportation Awards 