Out-of-Class #1: Another Example ...

 ... from one of youze. Again, fairly typical in terms of what you did wqell and what we can do better:

Out-of-Class #1

7-2-2015

Construction Nightmare

If your travels take you through the area where Northwestern Highway, Orchard Lake and 14 Mile roads intersect, on the boarders MISSPELLING: BORDERS, STED BOARDERS of Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield, chances are you’ve experiences some delays.

Construction on an oversized roundabout has been in full swing in recent months, forcing many motorists to deal with detours and delays. While this has been frustrating for many residents of the area, local businesses are being hit the hardest.

Leo’s Coney Island, a restaurant on the corner of Orchard Lake and 14 Mile roads, was once a packed eatery with lines out the door. Today though, it is operating at barely half capacity. Manager Joelle Hershman blames the construction.

“We have lost quite a bit of our business. I would say we have lost more then 50 percent in sales since the construction started,” said Hershman.

While the restaurant still has some die-hard customers who tackle the construction to get their fix of Coney dogs and chili fries, many have decided to avoid the area altogether.

WE NEED TO GET A RESPONSE TO THIS FROM PROJECT OFFICIALS HERE

Adding insult to injury, reports from local media outlets, urging patrons to avoid the area, have had a profoundly negative affect MISSPELLING: EFFECT, STED AFFECT on business. “The media did not embrace the businesses at all. The press told people to stay away from the area. Don’t come in,” said Hershman. “It was a disaster.”

The drop in business has not only affected management, it has taken its toll on the wait staff that work at some of the many restaurants in the area. With fewer customers coming in, wait staff have been laid off and tips have diminished.

“A lot of our hours have decreased since the roundabout construction started,” said Brittney Cookson, a waitress at Leo’s Coney Island.  “Without business, we cannot keep as many employees, nor do we need as many waiters on the floor each day.”

CAN WE GET AN EXACT NUMBER? LIKE FOR COOKSON, SHE’S SEEN HER HOURS GO FROM WHAT TO WHAT? SHOW ME THE DETAILS; DON’T JUST TELL ME THE GENERAL INFO

Another concern among locals, especially the elderly, is the lack of instruction when it comes to driving on the roundabout.

“I think it’s going to create accidents and a lot of problems because we have not been taught properly or had any lessons on how to use a roundabout,” said Hershman PERIOD GOES HERE

Phyllis Stone, an 81-year-old resident of Farmington Hills, agrees.  

Stone, who has lived in the area for more then 42 years, never had a problem with the traffic, until now. “The traffic was always nice and now it’s crazy,” she said. “The roundabout won’t be good for old people. They wont get onto that thing. It’s going to cause more accidents.”

The Federal Highway Administration has responded to many similar concerns, stating that roundabouts have been shown to reduce fatalities by about 90 percent when they replace signalized intersections. HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS? ATTRIBUTE!

Even after being presented with this information, Stone stand by her words. “I just don’t think it’s a benefit. I know people that avoid the roundabouts. They go way out of their way not to go on them.”

Dr. Debra Leider, a frequent visitor to the Orchard Lake and Gateway Shopping Centers, doesn’t know what all the fuss is about. “Yes, the traffic being caused due to the construction is pretty terrible, but the outcome will be so worth it,” she said.

“I do have to give myself an extra five to 10 minutes to get around all the detours, but ultimately, I think the roundabout will make the drive through that intersection much smoother,” said Leider.

Craig Bryson, the Senior Manager of Communications for the Road Commission of Oakland County, responded to growing concerns about safety. “The addition of the roundabout should both reduce congestion at this intersection and along the corridor, as well as improve safety,” he said.

“Unfortunately, there simply is no way to construct major road construction projects on main thoroughfares without disrupting traffic and therefore businesses and residents,” said Bryson.

While Bryson is sympathetic to the fact that the construction has made life more difficult for businesses and residents, he is confident that business will resume, and potentially even improve, when the construction has been completed.  

The $12.8 million project, which began in early 2014, is expected to open some lanes of traffic in mid-July, but will not be completely operational until the end of November 2015.

Word Count: 705

SOURCE SHEET

Joelle Hershman, Manager at Leo’s Coney Island, 248-906-6420

Brittney Cookson, Waitress at Leo’s Coney Island, 248-978-7194, Cookson.Brittney2015@gmail.com

Phyllis Stone, Customer affected by traffic (she is 81 and does not have a phone)

Dr. Debra Leider, Customer affected by traffic, 248-417-5996, Debraj227@aol.com

Craig Bryson, Senior Manager of Communications & Public Information at the Road Commission for Oakland County, 248-645-2000, ext. 220, CBryson@rcoc.org

                                                                                                                                           

ASSIGNMENT GRADE: (GRADE REDACTED)

INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS: VERY NICE FIRST ASSIGNMENT. THE BIGGEST WEAKNESS IS LACK OF A NEUTRAL EXPERT, LIKE A TRANSPORTATION PROFESSOR AT A UNIVERSITY WHO COULD PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE BY OFFERING THE PROS AND CONS OF ROUNDABOUTS AND HOW THE EFFECTS OF ROAD WORK COMPARE TO A TYPICAL SITUATION; WHETHER IT’S BETTER OR WORSE HERE AND WHAT BUSINESSES AND COMMUTERS CAN DO TO REDUCE THE IMPACT. STILL, A VERY NICE JOB OF WRITING, ORGANIZING AND REPORTING THIS.