Pedestrian crossing among safety improvements planned for busy Plymouth intersection

Major safety improvements are coming to a busy intersection in Plymouth.

Thanks to a $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the changes are planned for area of Highway 55 and County Road 73.

“Public safety is huge with this,” Plymouth Public Works Director Michael Thompson said.

Thompson says the improvements will benefit pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. One of the upgrades is an underpass.

“You’re relying on 55, 60-mile-an-hour vehicles to stop appropriately; Here, you mitigate that risk and put those pedestrians or bikers underneath (Highway) 55,” Thompson said.

Other upgrades include re-aligning County Road 73 to fix traffic flow and adding two bus platforms.

“So buses that are on (Highway) 55 can pull off into the shoulders, drop off and pick up passengers,” Thompson said.

“I’m excited for our residents, I’m excited for our team,” said Jeanna Greig, the executive director of the Waters of Plymouth Senior Living Community.

Greig says there are team members at Waters of Plymouth who live across the street and walk to work. She believes the whole community will take advantage of the project.

“I think they’ll venture out a little bit further than our normal walking around the neighborhood,” Greig said.

Modernizing this intersection is all part of the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) federal grant program. Thompson believes this trend of putting additional money toward pedestrian safety will continue.

“Historically, we’re just focused on the vehicles, the drivers, but now multi-modal has become more of an investment area,” Thompson said.

This project will be completed in phases, with improvements expected to be made between 2023 and 2027.