(WWJ) -- Work is underway to make several major Oakland County roads safer, as crews add more mumble strips.
The Road Commission for Oakland County says work started Monday on 26 miles of primary, heavier-traveled roads, including General Motors Boulevard, Wixom Road and Milford Road.
Similar to rumble strips -- which have been used for a number of years, most frequently along the shoulder -- mumble strips are slightly quieter and in the middle of the road, to alert drivers when they cross the centerline.
Officials say the mumble “creates less noise outside the vehicle than rumble strips, providing a quieter existence for residents living along the roads,” though both create about the same noise level inside the vehicle, keeping the driver alert and improving safety.
The difference is shown in a video from the Minnesota Local Road Research Board, shared by the RCOC.
The roads will remain open, with workers directing traffic.
The project, which will cost an estimated $127,000, is expected to be completed by next Monday, Nov. 8. The contractor for the project is Surface Transportation Technologies LLC of New Kingstown, Pennsylvania.
Areas that will see mumble strips include:
-- General Motors Boulevard, from Hickory Ridge Road to the Village of Milford limits in Milford Township
-- Wixom Road, from Glengary Road to the Village of Milford limits on the border of Milford and Commerce Townships
-- Milford Road, from M-59 (Highland Road) to the Highland Township limits
-- Andersonville Road, from Davisburg Road to White Lake Road in Springfield Township
-- Big Lake Road, from Andersonville Road to Andersonville Road in Springfield Township
-- Bogie Lake Road, from Cooley Lake Road to M-59 (Highland Road) in White Lake Township
-- Duck Lake Road, from Cooley Lake Road to M-59 (Highland Road) in Highland Township
-- Giddings Road, from Waldon Road to Silverbell Road in Orion Township
-- Waldon Road, from Joslyn Road to Giddings Road in Orion Township
Officials say these roads were selected to receive mumble strips because “the locations had shown a susceptibility to crashes resulting from vehicles crossing the centerline.”
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