Brandon Twp.- Engineers say sharp curves in Oakwood Road, multiple residential driveways and a gravel road entrance, all near a proposed elementary school, present no significant traffic safety issues for the new facility.
The report, released last week by Hubbell, Roth & Clark, consulting engineers of Bloomfield Hills was requested after the Brandon School Board tabled the purchase on Nov. 13 of about 23 acres just north of Leece Road along Oakwood Road, for the construction of a new elementary school.
A vote by school board trustees is expected at 6:30 p.m., Dec. 11 at the Brandon School Board meeting.
‘We’re very pleased with the results of the report,? said Tom Miller, Brandon Schools superintendent.
‘But, we’ll continue to put the safety of students and community first in this decision.?
The building project will include a 65,000 square-foot building to replace the aging H.T. Burt Elementary School, a soccer field, softball diamond, playgrounds and natural areas as outlined in the recent $73 million district bond extension OK’d by voters earlier this year.
The property, valued at $500,000 and currently owned by the Tucker Investment Co. LLC, borders several township residents and was one of five locations selected by the district for the new elementary school, said Miller.
‘This property, however, met the criteria we were looking for, which included access to a hard surface road, a building site that passes perk standards, natural gas availability and potential for sewers if available.?
A letter was issued by the School Board to homeowners along the fringe of the Oakwood Road property regarding the intent of the district. Three of the area property owners attended the meeting and expressed concern regarding the property, including the curves in Oakwood Road where the property is located.
The school will enroll about 350 kindergarten through fourth grade students.
According to the study, total daily traffic count was 5,249, about 4 percent higher than the traffic count taken by the Road Commission for Oakland County in 2003.
Engineers also concluded that crash data from 2000 through 2006 for Oakwood Road and the two curves north and south of the proposed school driveway was below the state average and that neither the pattern of crashes nor the crash rate was unsafe as a location for a school drive.