GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A recently-reopened intersection on Grand Rapids' northeast side has caused concern among local drivers. Now, the city is set to repaint the lanes to increase safety.
The city is currently wrapping up a project that resurfaced the stretch of Fuller Avenue NE between Knapp Street and 3 Mile Road. The road just opened a week ago, and was narrowed from four lanes to one in each direction, with bike lanes on each side and a turn lane in the middle.
At the intersection with 3 Mile, the lanes currently do not match up correctly, forcing drivers to shift in the middle of the intersection. One resident who lives nearby tells 13 ON YOUR SIDE they've heard dozens of cars honking and screeching tires to avoid accidents in the last week.
City engineer Tim Burkman says they plan to change that.
"We've heard heard from residents, and I've seen it on our social media as well," says Burkman. "And we agree that it's a safety concern. And so we want to take quick action to resolve it."
Starting on Tuesday, the turn lanes at the intersection will be closed in the interim while the city works on a reconfigured plan. Burkman says there will still be a lane shift when it's complete, but it will be far less severe.
"It's not uncommon for there to be lane shifts through an intersection, but the offset of this one is pretty significant," he says. "And we're not comfortable with it, so we're going back to fix it."
The city expects the intersection to be repainted by the end of this week.
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