Although we suspect this project may face some degree of opposition as the construction season opens, we like what the Michigan Department of Transportation is planning for more than three miles of M-35 in Marquette County between Marquette County Road 480 and US 41, including converting the M-35/County Road 492 intersection to a modern roundabout.

Dan Weingarten, MDOT media representative for the agency’s Superior Region, summed things up nicely in a recent Mining Journal front page story on the matter, noting the current intersection of Marquette County Road 492 and M-35 is offset and requires M-35 traffic to stop and turn. This is inefficient, especially for truck traffic.

Additionally, along this stretch of M-35, the pavement conditions are poor. So, with a pavement reconstruction job already planned, it was a good time to remove the jog in M-35, he said.

Overall, realignment of this intersection has been in the planning stages for more than 15 years. The project is budgeted for $6.2 million.

Roundabouts generally fall into one of two categories for most people: either you love ’em or you hate ’em. From our perch, we believe they are generally a positive, once motorists become accustomed to them. Certainly, one can’t dispute that roundabouts improve safety. According to a national study we’ve seen, US intersections converted from traffic signals or stop signs to roundabouts have seen reductions in injury crashes of 72%-80% and reductions in all crashes of 35%-47%.

It’s hard to argue with those numbers.

So why, then, do people oppose them? It’s only a guess but it very likely has something to do with familiarity. They’ve been driving a certain stretch of roadway for many years in a certain way and that’s what they’re comfortable with. Change, even when it’s for the good, is often uncomfortable.

Look for tree clearing to start next week with road work to start about May 5. We look forward to improved safety on this busy stretch of roadway.