Roadwork to Soon Begin at N Territorial/ Webster Church Intersection

In a recent virtual town hall meeting, the Washtenaw County Road Commission (WCRC) outlined comprehensive plans for reconstruction of the North Territorial/ Webster Church intersection, addressing community concerns and explaining the project's scope, funding, and expected impacts.

The session, hosted by Emma Sharpe, featured insights from key figures, including Becky Houle, the Project Manager; Aaron Berkholtz, the Assistant Director of Engineering; and Brent Schlack, the Director of Engineering.

The project, as Becky Houle described, "is being funded through a federal safety fund along with additional federal funds and the Michigan Transportation funds," showcasing a significant investment in the region's infrastructure. The planned work includes installing center left turn lanes, a traffic signal at the North Territorial/Webster Church intersection, and upgrading signage and pavement markings.

Houle also elaborated on the project's technical aspects, emphasizing removing trees for intersection work, replacing culverts, and adding centerline rumble strips to alert drivers and prevent accidents. The total cost is pegged at $1.4 million, which Houle justified by citing "enough correctable crashes at this location to install the traffic signal."

Aaron Berkholtz offered additional context, highlighting ongoing and upcoming projects in the vicinity that might affect traffic patterns, most notably the major road reconstruction project a few miles west at the intersection of N. Territorial and Dexter Townhall.

Berkholtz and Houle provided detailed timelines, noting that one lane of traffic will be maintained on N. Territorial Rd with a temporary traffic signal and lane closures during construction. Webster Church Rd will be closed to all traffic north and south of the intersection to minimize vehicle activity in the work zone during construction. A detour will be posted. The closure is expected to be in place for approximately six to eight weeks, weather pending. The WCRC expects work to begin mid-April and be finished by the end of June.

Explaining the rationale behind the infrastructure enhancements, Houle mentioned, "We've had this intersection on our monitoring list for many years," alluding to the data-driven approach to prioritizing road safety improvements through the WCRC's strategy of using traffic volume, crash history, and other factors to determine the necessity of a traffic signal and other safety measures.

For more information on this and other road projects, visit wcroads.org.

Images from WCRC presentation.