Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Hartland Township trustees this month approved up to $47,000 to study traffic at the intersection of M-59 and Old U.S. 23.

Township Manager Mike Luce explained it's an effort to finally get MDOT to move on needed improvements, on top of seeking grant funding.

"This would set us up for at least having something to go to MDOT and say we all know there's an issue here, how do we fix it? Here's some proposed solutions to that. And moving forward over the next few years, how do we really try to stay at the forefront of moving these things forward and being and advocate for the township to the state, to get something done here?

"Existing traffic studies that have taken place in the area west of Target, or south of the Target store, the old Burger King at the southeast corner of 59 and Blaine Road, the old Walgreens. They will use all of the data for that, along with to be able to project out through 2046, traffic projections for development," said Luce.

Engineering firm Spalding Decker will conduct the study during the school year, when traffic is heaviest.

"Is the solution to boulevard M-59, from Old 23 and 59 to the west to Cullen, and then have it narrow back down after that? That's going to at least move people through the intersection and alleviate having a turn lane at Charyl Stockwell heading to the west, to where you could actually have, we've talked about the potential of having a stoplight for the development that's there," Luce added.

"If that goes in and you have a turn signal into Charyl Stockwell, does that alleviate the issue? There's a lot of things to look at. Is it going to make a difference? I can't promise you that it will."

Luce pointed out that MDOT insists there is no funding for M-59 through 2030, but now the agency wants to repave from about 1,300 feet west of Old 23 to Hartland Road or Lakena Street, next spring.