Given no concrete answer on what could be done, many residents left unhappy. However, their comments are all on record, and Delta County Commissioner Christine Williams — who represents Ford River — assured Monday’s attendees that she would continue to work with relevant agencies and advocate for the citizens’ cause.

The corridor troubling Ford River Township residents is an approximately four-mile span of highway between Escanaba and Ford River. From around the Delta County Airport to the Ford River Bridge, the slightly-curving M-35 is home to a number of residential driveways. It’s also an area highly trafficked by semi trucks and recklessly speeding drivers. Homeowners in the area say they feel like they are gambling with their lives.

The topic at Monday’s township meeting was approached as a public hearing, the structure of which allowed members of the public up to three minutes each to speak before MDOT responded. Chatter went back and forth for a bit, too.

The overwhelming majority of people in the room agreed that M-35 is dangerous, and they brought up a number of suggestions about how to tackle the issues.

Towards the end of the discussion about M-35 on Monday evening, Delta County Commissioner Christine Williams tells both residents and the township board that she will continue to work on finding out what can be done to make the highway safer. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

“Hopefully MDOT will consider a turn lane for southbound traffic on M-35 a mile south of the airport,” said Todd Myrick. The current situation makes it specially difficult “for the homeowners turning left from the north, heading south on M-35. We all put our lives in our hands daily on our commutes to work, school, and church,” he said.

“I’m here as a Portage Point resident to advocate for a right-hand southbound bypass lane. As we homeowners turn left, heading south onto Portage Point Road, that gives the opportunity for the traffic to veer off to the right hand side without going out of the shoulder — which they do now, kicking up dust and rocks, coming close to clipping our passenger mirrors as they do that. And I know there’s been numerous accidents.”

MDOT’s staff replied to say that no funding was dedicated for road projects in the area for the next five years and that the addition of a lane in the near future was unlikely because “we simply don’t have the funding for the traffic volume to warrant it.”

The ideas presented by residents varied. Some thing that allowing the area to be a passing zone is a mistake.

“I think it’d be (helpful) — and I’m not a traffic engineer, but if they had a double yellow line, so cars couldn’t pass,” said Alan Odell. “When you’re turning left, you have to be very conscious of looking in the mirror to make sure nobody’s passing you.”

MDOT's Ben Feldhausen (left), traffic safety engineer for the Crystal Falls Transportation Service Center (TSC) serving Gogebic, Iron, Dickinson, Menominee, and Delta Counties; and Dan Kari, manager for the same TSC, dial in to a Ford River Township meeting on Monday.

To that suggestion, Ben Feldhausen of MDOT said, “As a rule, passing is permitted unless it’s unsafe,” inciting some indignant sounds from the crowd. “We are certainly open to re-evaluating the passing zone and taking a look at crashes that are occurring and making sure that what’s there is appropriate.”

Several people asked for truck traffic to be diverted to U.S. 41 instead. One resident who has lived in the area since 1976 stated that when the weight limits on M-35 were lifted decades ago, it brought the heavy trucks to Ford River.

“The way that you reduce traffic and semi traffic — if you reduce the speed limit, they’re going to look for the fastest route, and that’s going to be U.S. 41, which should be the truck route,” said Amy Chown.

Jill Bernard asked whether speed-monitoring traffic cameras could be installed. It would be a way to bring in money as well as deter offenders, she said.

“As of currently, right now, we do not use speed cameras in Michigan,” replied Feldhausen.

"I've seen dead animals, I've seen dead people, I've treated injured people. It's a very deadly stretch of highway," said Mary Harrington on Monday night, as other attendees of the township meeting applaud. "And I think if you add more lanes, people are just going to take those lanes and they're going to go faster."

When Township Supervisor Steve Nelson asked Feldhausen about rumble strips, the MDOT employee said that they probably wouldn’t help in this case, and that township residents had previously expressed opposition to them because of the noise.

“It should be noted that the intent of those rumble strips is not to prohibit or minimize people from taking chances at passing. The intent of the rumble strips is to provide an audible and tactile warning for runoff roads crashes,” Feldhausen responded.

There was a period during which the two men from MDOT explained why certain things hadn’t been employed: the digital signs displaying passing drivers’ speed aren’t used on State trunk lines. Doing a speed study to establish a new speed limit involves tracking the velocity of current drivers, and could therefore possibly result in an even higher speed limit.

The lack of helpful suggestions from MDOT as well as the poor audio of the call caused disgruntled muttering from the dismayed crowd of over people in the hall.

“He’s lost us,” someone said during a particularly long monologue from MDOT, but when the traffic expert brought up additional signage and said, “There is such a thing as information overload,” the irony made several people laugh.

Denise Young gestures while explaining risks to drivers on the highway in Ford River Township. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

“You have a packed room here of concerned residents who are asking for action with common themes, common stories, common concerns,” one woman addressed MDOT firmly. “What specific action steps can you or will you commit to? Tonight I’ve heard a lot of, ‘we can’t, we can’t afford, it’s not in the budget, can’t do that.’ I’d like some specific clarification from MDOT and the township …What will you commit to all of us in this room to do, who will do it, and by when? And when can we return to hear what will be done?”

Township Trustee Jayne Church posed a similar question to MDOT. “I’d like to know the steps of the township can take,” she said. She also requested copies of past studies, some of which — but not all — Township Supervisor Steve Nelson reportedly has and will share.

Immediate action that can be done is enforcement of the speed limit.

“I did just get a call today that someone was getting pulled over on M-35, thank goodness, because Delta County Sheriff and MSP has said ‘we will get out there and we will look at this area much more heavily,’ and so I know they’re out there, and I know they’re ticketing them for speeding and passing on the shoulder,” Williams said.

While the residents in attendance seemed displeased that there wasn’t a simple solution or a promise from MDOT to fix things, the state traffic experts explained that there are procedures to follow. The complaints did not go unheard, though; Supervisor Nelson said he will continue to work with MDOT.

Ford River Township Clerk Debbi Brown, Trustee Bob Valentine, Supervisor Steve Nelson, Treasurer Amanda Wagner and Trustee Jayne Church listen to residents during a busy board meeting on Monday. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

The conversation had nearly wrapped up when a couple more locals spoke passionately.

“2017, December 12, my mother-in-law, Patti Finch, was killed a half mile from Portage Point,” said Nicole Fitch through a breaking voice. “In December, the sun is shining just right, the shadow casted over the road, she was unable to see the school bus stopped in front of her, and the truck behind that.

“The things that were expressed tonight are very important, and I’d really like to see some change, so we don’t lose another family member, a friend, or a neighbor. It makes a difference,” Fitch concluded.

Camp counselors from Camp Harstad — a camp for young people with disabilities that also lies on the stretch of road in question — attended the meeting, too. One tried to demand an answer that something would be done to ease her concern for the campers’ safety.

While no one could doubtlessly say that there would be action besides increased police presence, Williams took to the podium to try to calm people down.

“As your county commissioner, I will help work with the township to voice your concerns. I don’t think that it’s positive for us to get to a point where we start to get angry and we get frustrated,” she said. “After this is over, we’re going to talk about what can we do …What our options are with MDOT… Then we will keep you informed as to what we’re doing, and hopefully we’ll get some changes made.”

After that point, the public hearing was closed. Township Clerk Debbi Brown advised that anyone interested in staying updated should email clerk@forriver.org or supervisor@fordriver.org.