WEXFORD COUNTY — In a town hall meeting in Clam Lake Township Friday night, everyone in the building, including MDOT echoed something must be done at the intersection.
For years, Traffic and Safety Engineer Jessica Carpenter has been trying to have a roundabout placed at M-115 and Mackinaw Trail, but the area was not high enough on the states radar to warrant the funding.
However, a recent study changes some things, using the stop light to open doors for a roundabout.
Jessica said that with this aligning with a potential future reconstruction project, they have the benefit of a roundabout being a partner project with a larger project, which also brings it to the top of the list for the state.
Right now, they are still in the developing phase of placing a stop light at the intersection, with approval still needed from the state.
If approved, a stoplight can be completed in 2-3 years, where as a roundabout would be completed in 2032.
Overall, Clam Lake Township Supervisor Bill Benson says that good things came from the meeting Friday night.
“Everybody was in an agreement that they felt a roundabout would be a better fix and a stoplight.” Bill said, adding “But we also had a representative here from the state, and they think that if they was able to earmark some funds for that could happen as quickly as a stoplight could.”