M-59/Latson Road Roundabout Project

The project is scheduled to be let (bids received) in December 2026, with construction taking place approximately from April to November 2027. There may be some construction activity in early 2027 due to seasonal tree removal restrictions. Utility relocation work prior to construction is anticipated in summer and fall 2026.

M-59 will have one lane open in each direction during this project. Latson Road will be closed for a portion of the project to allow crews to safely rebuild the approach. Those closures will be coordinated to occur when school is out of session. Posted detours will be in place during the Latson Road closures. MDOT will use its existing communication methods, like Mi Drive, to share closures throughout construction.

MDOT has been working with Oceola Township on proposed pedestrian crossing locations. A potential location is on the west side of the roundabout. This sidewalk would connect to a nonmotorized pathway the township is planning, which will run along the south side of M-59.

Funding is not currently available for a boulevard project. This project received funding based on safety issues at the intersection. A feasibility study was performed to compare indirect left turns (a similar option to a boulevard) versus a roundabout at the intersection only. Based on that study, a roundabout was determined to be the appropriate fix to address safety concerns.

Yes, advisory speed signs will be posted below the advance roundabout signs. Additionally, the geometry of the approach legs will require vehicles to slow down as they maneuver to and through the roundabout.

Roundabouts do not require drivers to stop, but to instead yield as they enter a roundabout. In comparison, a signalized intersection requires traffic to come to a complete stop when the signal turns red and then releases all the stopped vehicles simultaneously during the green signal phase. This creates large groups of vehicles (also known as traffic platoons) as they cycle through the signalized intersection. Although roundabouts can be thought of as having “continuous” or “uninterrupted” flow, the entering flow of traffic is still required to yield to vehicles within the roundabout.

Roundabouts tend to result in smaller/shorter downstream traffic platoons and shorter, but more frequent, gaps in traffic than those produced by a traffic signal. By breaking up these traffic platoons, the roundabout results in more frequent gaps, although the gaps may be shorter. The more frequent (yet randomly distributed) gaps result in additional opportunities for turning movements, resulting in less overall delay to traffic attempting to enter or cross the downstream roadway.

The existing and projected traffic volumes at this location are not sufficient to produce a continuous stream of traffic in any direction. Currently, there are numerous roundabouts statewide with similar, or even greater, traffic volumes than this location. Those locations have not experienced any negative operational issues related to a lack of acceptable gaps in downstream traffic. Therefore, there is no reason to believe such issues should be anticipated at this location.

Vehicles coming from the west or south would have to cross lanes within the roundabout from the inside lane of the roundabout to the outside lane of the roundabout. This would occur on the north side of the roundabout to exit to Bigelow Road. This movement would not be safe for vehicles to maneuver and could cause sideswipe crashes. Also, adding an approach for Bigelow Road would add additional conflict points within the roundabout, which has the potential to increase crashes in the roundabout. Lastly, westbound M-59 traffic could take the Bigelow Road exit incorrectly due to its proximity to the westbound exit.

The width of the circulating lanes is 32 feet. This provides a 16-foot width for each lane, which would likely accommodate most trailered vehicles. In addition to the circulating lanes, there will be a truck apron in the center island designed for interstate semi-trucks and trailers. The curb that runs along the inside of the roundabout island is a shorter height mountable curb. This shorter-height curb allows the rear tires of the truck’s trailer to traverse onto the truck apron smoothly to minimize load shifts.

Latson Road will experience both improved northbound and southbound traffic flow.

The outside diameter of the roundabout will be 180 feet, with the approaches having long splitter islands that will be about 400-feet-long along M-59 and Latson Road south of the roundabout. The roundabout will be similar in size to the newly built US-23/Silver Lake Road roundabouts.

MDOT will provide to the township and county website links and YouTube videos for general information about roundabouts. MDOT has created a project website that will also have these links posted for the public to view. MDOT also plans to hold an open house to inform the public about the project.

No, traffic signals are not currently planned as part of the work for pedestrian movements. The department typically places enhancements for pedestrian crossings such as laddered pavement markings with pedestrian yield signs to highlight where pedestrians are crossing.

Yes, the splitter island of the approaches offers an area of refuge so that a pedestrian only needs to cross one direction of traffic at a time.  Motorized traffic is required to yield to pedestrians after they enter the crosswalk.

M-59 traffic will be maintained throughout the project duration. Two detours are planned for Latson Road. The posted detour for Latson Road when the south leg of Latson Road is closed will be Eager Road and Golf Course Road. The posted detour when the Latson Road north leg is closed will be Bigelow Road and Eager Road south to M-59.

Residents who live and work along Latson Road will experience more frequent gaps to turn into or out of their driveways.

The posted detours are for local traffic; M-59 traffic will be maintained on M-59 at all times. The local detour routes were approved by the Livingston County Road Commission (LCRC). Repair and maintenance of local roads, including the local road detour route, is the responsibility of the Livingston County Road Commission.

The left-turn storage for northbound Latson Road to turn left onto Bigelow Road is about 70 feet, which is enough for a school bus and one vehicle. In addition, the roundabout is designed with two lanes exiting north. This will allow traffic to bypass backups that may occur for left turns, should they occur. Given the small volume of vehicles that make this turn, the roundabout should still function and operate appropriately.

The length of the Bigelow Road turn lane does not provide enough room for the amount of traffic and buses that use Bigelow Road.

The existing intersection does not have a center left-turn lane for northbound Latson Road onto Bigelow Road. The roundabout design will add a center left-turn lane with 70 feet of storage just north of the roundabout, enough to handle the amount of traffic turning onto Bigelow Road. MDOT uses traffic counts to assess what required lane configuration is required for each traffic movement. MDOT and the LCRC will monitor the overall operations, including the Bigelow Road intersection, when the project is completed.

Based on the projected traffic volumes, MDOT anticipates that there will be sufficient gaps in the southbound Latson Road traffic stream to allow left turns into the driveway. MDOT’s modeling of the proposed roundabout indicates that approximately five cars traveling south will stack up in the morning, with three cars in the afternoon. This queue length (the length vehicles stack) will occur within 100 feet of the roundabout. Therefore, there is a low chance of vehicles backing up north of Bigelow Road.  Turning left into the driveway north of Bigelow Road should be significantly improved as the drive will not be blocked by backups from the roundabout.

MDOT is in the process of obtaining additional traffic counts (anticipated by the end of May 2026). Once those are received, MDOT will re-analyze the operations of the proposed improvements.

MDOT is in the process of obtaining additional traffic counts (refer to the prior question and answer).

Generally, the exit speeds of traffic leaving the roundabout will be slower. These lower exiting speeds should also contribute to lower speeds downstream of the roundabout. This allows for gaps in traffic to be used when turning into the community center.

A project to complete the M-59 boulevard widening between Michigan Avenue and US-23 in Livingston County is not currently in MDOT’s Five-Year Transportation Plan, primarily due to lack of funding.