As part of the Toward Zero Deaths plan for the northern part of the state, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will begin placing hundreds of roadside reflectors this week along 76 miles of the iconic M-22 route.
The $300,000 project includes more than 1,300 reflectors—called road delineators—that are meant to keep drivers safe along the curvy, hilly highway. The 116-mile-long M-22 winds along the Lake Michigan shoreline through Manistee, Benzie and Leelanau counties. The scenic route is one of 21 highways in the state that have been designated a Pure Michigan Byway. MDOT officials said the delineators are meant to keep drivers from veering off the road.
The reflectors are 3 in. wide and 12 in. long, and are placed on 4-ft-tall posts along the road shoulder. They are spaced about 300 ft apart, and closer on curved areas of road, which equates to a minimum of about 1,334 reflectors in the 76 miles of highway. Wooden stakes have been placed where the reflectors will go.
Statistics show that 75% of fatal crashes in the area are caused by a driver leaving their lane or leaving the roadway, according to MDOT officials. The department's plan is to eventually put the reflectors along every highway in northern lower Michigan.
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Source: Traverse City Record-Eagle
