Barry Street Realignment
Project Highlights
- 2026 ACEC/M Engineering Honorable Conceptor Award Winner
- Merged two confusing, closely spaced signalized intersections into a single four-way signalized intersection
- Optimized roadway geometry and signal operations, significantly improving safety and reducing congestion
Project Summary
The 32nd Avenue corridor in Hudsonville contained a complex section of roadway with two offset intersections and two traffic signals that were two hundred feet apart. For more than 50 years, this unusual configuration in the City of Hudsonville challenged drivers at the offset intersections of Barry Street and Allen Street along 32nd Avenue. Both are major streets in Hudsonville. The poor layout and signal timing led to frequent driver confusion, signal misinterpretation, and a high number of crashes. These issues were exacerbated by heavy traffic at peak travel times from Hudsonville High School, located nearby.
To address this problem, the City partnered with their long-time engineering consultant Fleis & VandenBrink (F&V) in 2008 to develop a solution. This wasn’t an easy task; they had to overcome several logistical and engineering hurdles. Buttermilk Creek, which cuts through the project area, also added significant design, environmental, and permitting complexities. After more than 15 years of concepts, development, and budgeting, a turning point came when a house on the corner of Barry Street and 32nd Avenue went up for sale.
The City bought and relocated the home, creating a vital opportunity for realignment. An additional right-of-way was also acquired from a neighboring property owner—an essential step for designing a curve on Barry Street that could safely accommodate the 35-mph speed limit. Without this, the curve would have been so sharp that it would have required lowering to a 15-mph advisory speed.
F&V designed a super-elevated curve to support the higher speed and designed a bridge over Buttermilk Creek to solve the complexities imposed by the road’s skewed alignment with the creek all while satisfying EGLE’s permitting requirements.
The completed project merged the two intersections into a single, upgraded four-way signal, improving safety, reducing congestion, and providing smoother traffic flow.
After years of planning and exploration, the combination of the right property, partners, and timing finally brought this long-awaited solution to life, delivering a safer and more efficient roadway for the Hudsonville community.
AWARDS
- 2026 ACEC/M Engineering Honorable Conceptor Award
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