Starting on April 27, work will include crushing and shaping the existing pavement, new asphalt pavement, widening existing paved shoulders, realigning the M-35/Marquette County Road 492 intersection, grad

ing, and tree clearing at various locations for safety improvements, according to Dan Weingarten, MDOT media representative for the agency’s Superior Region.

“The current intersection of Marquette County Road 492 and M-35 is offset and requires M-35 traffic to stop and turn. This isn’t efficient, especially for truck traffic,” he said. “The realignment of this jogged intersection on a heavily used truck route has been in the planning stages for more than 15 years.”

Along this stretch of M-35, the pavement conditions are poor, with significant rutting and pavement distress. With a pavement reconstruction job already planned, it was a good time to remove the jog in M-35, he said.

Weingarten noted MDOT designers considered three options: realigning the roadway to create a traditional four-way intersection, realigning the roadway and creating a roundabout, or making no changes to the intersection. The roundabout option was selected, he said, because over the long term, a roundabout will perform better for safety and operation compared to the existing intersection. The roundabout improves the efficiency of the intersection, increases safety by slowing traffic in all directions and will not be prohibitively more expensive than the other options.

A view of the pavement along M-35 near the current intersection. (Photo courtesy of the Michigan Department of Transportation)

Tree clearing will start April 27 with road work starting on May 5. Motorists should expect single-lane closures with traffic regulators.

Based on economic modeling, this investment is expected to directly and indirectly support 52 jobs. A mid-October time frame is anticipated for completion of the project.

Learn more at www.Michigan.gov/Roundabout.