Maple & Middlebelt Roads Roundabout

Modern Roundabout and Reconstructed Culvert Improve Safety for Travelers and Residents

The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) partnered with OHM Advisors to design a reconstructed intersection at Maple and Middlebelt Roads and a replacement 15’ x 9’ box culvert east of the intersection carrying Maple Road over the Franklin Branch of the Rouge River. Both the intersection and the culvert had deteriorated significantly, resulting in poor pavement condition, traffic congestion and erosion adjacent to residents’ property.

Our engineers delivered a design that improved stream function, protected sensitive environmental resources by adding retaining walls up to 20 feet tall, flattened the grade of Middlebelt Road into the intersection, and converted the intersection to a two-lane roundabout for increased safety and efficient traffic flow. The project also included an 8-foot wide concrete sidewalk along the north side of Maple Road, HAWK beacons at pedestrian crosswalks, and underground stormwater detention to reduce the rate of stormwater flow into the river and stress to the watercourse. Our team also prepared state and local environmental permitting, identified ROW impacts, and coordinated several complex public and private utility relocations.

The result is more efficient traffic flow and increased safety along with long-term stability for this environmentally sensitive area.

Project Highlights: transportation design engineering, culvert design, retaining wall design, surveying, safety evaluation, capacity study, stormwater management