I want this to be our idea (the residents of Rochester Hills)
Let’s rebuild Tienken Rd. as a 2 lane 40mph (design speed)* parkway with bike 
lanes and sidewalks (est. cost $9,500,000.00 million) roughly the same amount as original 5 lane highway and not the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) new 50mph (design speed)* 3 lane highway (est. $8,158,400.00 million) proposal ($3,944,400.00 in right-of-way purchases) ($4,214,000.00 construction cost).
If our goal is Birmingham, Northville, Michigan residential property values over the next 10 years then we need to rebuild our mile roads “upscale”.
A 50mph (design speed)* 3 lane highway, no trees and 8′ asphalt pathways is not “upscale”.
All over the country “progressive thinking cities” are turning old highways into parkways, “Complete Streets”. This design for Tienken is not “out of the box” but a reflection of what other city and towns are doing!
To understand this plan you must accept some civil engineering givens, you can not just “green in” the center median of a 3 lane highway.
In an emergency you must allow room for cars and trucks to get out of the way and let the fire trucks by etc.
This is why this 2 lane parkway design has 14′ lanes and 8′ bike lanes to allow room for you to “get out of the way”.
Starting at the west end (Livernois and Tienken) the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) wants to build a multi million roundabout, condemned and tear down the house on the northeast corner, also their plan has no room for pedestrian pathways on the southwest corner.
A traditional intersection with Michigan left turns is a better idea this fits within the existing right-of-way and has a more small town “upscale” character (use of brick pavers etc. would bring value to the area).
Traveling east the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) plan is to redo a 3 lane highway with a 3 lane highway up to the 5 lane bridge.
Let’s rebuild this old highway with a 2 lane parkway and disguise the bridge with architectural elements to look like a charming two lane bridge.
note: the beautiful forest on the north side should be left alone, the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) plan is a 8′ pathway both sides of the highway that idea would destroy this forest!
Traveling east of the bridge the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) wants to condemned and tear down 5 homes and take away all parking and driveway turnarounds in the right-of-way in front of all homes. This new 3 lane highway as proposed will have a negative effect on all residential property values if you take away the parking and front yard driveway turnarounds. These homes are allready in jeopardy of becoming rundown rentals!!!
Why spend the money buying homes? Let’s use this money to work with a landscape architect and redo the whole stretch around 28 homes with brick pavers and parallel parking and “upscale” front yard driveway turnarounds. Let’s all work together and “make it chic” to live on the boulevard, “Complete Streets”.
All mile road improvements in Rochester Hills should improve abutting residential property values!
The north side of Tienken in this area is a “strange mix” of zoning in need of help. For now Let’s propose two lanes to reduce rear end collisions the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) wants to condemned and tear down two business?… don’t know why?
(Tienken and Rochester Rd.) Let’s designed a redo into the plan but understand the money is not in any budget at this time. Let’s propose we engineer the intersection to “shovel ready” note: the Bank and Gas Station on the southwest corner would have to be totally rebuilt. Let’s rename this whole area the “east village district” it has great potential with senseable sound urban planning.
Traveling east of new City Walk Development to the existing roundabout the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) is planning extensive right-of-way purchases, a 50mph (design speed)* 3 lane highway no trees and 8′ asphalt pathways both sides of the road.
These residents don’t have a clue what they are in for. The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) will clear cut all trees for “site distance” and for the 8′ pathways if they get the right-of-way.
The City requires 10′ distance from the curb to pathway (no trees!) the 3′ to 4′ (no trees!) clearance on the other side of the pathway for “bike safety”.
That is a total of 22′ of open space in their front yards!!! Also many of the driveway turnarounds will have to be torn out.
Let’s propose we purchase far less right-of-way, save everything we can, again work with a landscape architect and thread a 5′ concrete sidewalk thru the area to preserve the “historic sized trees”.
– We pay “more than our fair share in federal taxes” and I feel we are deserving of the full federal grant of $10,500,000.00 five lane highway.
-The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) proposal will have a negative effect on residential property values, spends to much on right-of-way we don’t need, and a roundabout we don’t need.
– If we can not convenience the county to change course than the citizens of Rochester Hills should suport do nothing! Feds keep your money.
note: our city must participate in the cost of this project (est. $1,000,000.00)
– A two lane parkway, “Complete Streets” is not an “out of the box” idea but a reflection of what other “progressive thinking cities” are doing!
– We will need to convince the adjoining property owners to give up left hand turns from their driveways and “make it chic” to live on the boulevard.
– We need to lower the “design speed to 45mph” and allow bike lanes built along side of the road.
note: the “bike enthusiasts” dislike the pathways in RH) Todd Scott tscott@spamcop.net also note: bike lanes are not for “children” that is why the plan also has 5′ sidewalks!
– Again if our goal is Birmingham, Northville, Michigan residential property values over the next 10 years then we need to rebuild our mile roads “upscale”
– Successful 19th century cities were all about the railroad.
– Successful 20th century cities were all about cars and trucks.
– Successful 21th century cities will be all about the people who live in them not about cars and trucks that drive thru them.
– Rochester Hills with the right leadership could turn it’s old highways into tree line pedestrian friendly parkways. Tienken is our first chance to do just that.
Click here to see the County Road Plan http://ww3.rochesterhills.org/TienkenRdImpProjEAFINAL.pdf
* design speed is 5mph to 10mph over final posted speed
These plans are scale and they are a “design concept” not final engineering. The Michigan left turns have to be designed wide to alow 18 wheel truck turnarounds
The plans also overlap each other to allow the viewer to see transitions of road design. There are cross sections throughout the plans so the viewer can understand them easier. Plan #1 west end Plan #2 central Plan #3 east end
(50+ evening late hours) redrawing Tienken Rd. by Scot Beaton
655 Bolinger St. Rochester Hills
phone: 24/7 248.650.7862 sbeaton223278@comcast.net
Scot Beaton former Rochester Hills Council member
About Tom and Ann Gendich