The Michigan Department of Transportation is considering what’s called a “road diet” for part of US 12.
A road diet is the process of “making a road skinny.” In this case, M-DOT is considering turning a few miles of the highway from four lanes to three.
State officials believe the creation of a left-turn lane out of the flow of traffic would make US 12 a lot safer, possibly eliminating two-thirds of the crashes that happen on that stretch from Red Arrow Highway to the Indiana State Line.
One hundred fifty-seven crashes have happened in that area in the last four years.
If approved the repaving would begin in 2021 and cost around $2.4 million.