Bessemer, MDOT officials plan public hearing on proposal to change lanes

BESSEMER - Three lanes or four?

The Michigan Department of Transportation is planning to reconstruct U.S. 2 across the city of Bessemer in 2021 and city officials have planned a public hearing on the issue of how many lanes there should be when it's done.

The hearing will be held Monday, Nov. 26, at 6 p.m. in the city hall auditorium.

There are currently four lanes of traffic through the city, but MDOT officials have pitched the idea of three lanes - one for eastbound traffic, one for westbound traffic and a middle lane for lefthand turns.

MDOT officials will be there to take questions and are hoping to hear from residents and business owners, according to spokesman Dan Weingartner.

Mayor Adam Zak said he hopes people will come out, give their opinion and listen, adding he knows there are people for the change and people against it. "We just want people to know they were heard, that they had their chance to give their input."

Zak said the city recently received some new drawings that could alter the number of lanes in spots, including at the entrance to the industrial park. He said there are worries about trucks turning in and out of there.

Weingartner said the three-lane option will improve safety, while allowing traffic to flow more smoothly. He said they've been reducing four lanes to three in places around the state since the 1980s.

"It tends to calm traffic and lower speeds. They make people feel like they should slow down," Weingartner said. "It's decreased the number of and severity of rear-end accidents, and made the roadway more bicycle and pedestrian friendly."

It the past dozen years, MDOT has reduced four highway lanes to three in several U.P. communities, including Newberry, Munising, Iron River and Powers. He said Marquette also did it along Washington Street.

Some people want to keep the four lanes because slower traffic will mean it will take longer to get somewhere, especially when caught behind a slower driver and with no passing lane to go around anymore. Also, with all that traffic in just one lane, some say it will be harder to turn onto the highway.

One of the side issues complicating matters is that the current lanes are too narrow for federal roadway standards. The four 11-foot lanes should be 12-foot wide. A federal waiver will allow a four-lane option to have an 11-foot and 12-foot lane going each way. That means the right of way would lose a foot on either side of the highway, said Weingartner.

The council has heard from some property owners who are not happy with the highway getting closer to their home or business. Some have also mentioned safety, speed, noise and loss of property value as determents to making the highway wider.

"The final decision is absolutely up to the community. We're just making a proposal," said Weingartner. "If we go ahead with three lanes, we'll need approval from the council."

Zak said the city is working with the state to explore every option and hopes the community will attend the hearing. "We want to do what's best for Bessemer."