Avon Road at Dequindre Road Roundabout and Bridge

Roundabout and Bridge Transform Roadway into a Safe, Walkable, and Efficient Corridor that Connects to Recreational and Economic Opportunities

A critical part of its region’s transportation network, the Avon-Dequindre corridor is rich in recreational and economic opportunities, from a historic cider mill to fishing and kayaking in the adjacent Clinton River. However, this essential roadway was fraught with issues: mile-long backups, a deteriorating bridge, riverbank erosion, and no pedestrian facilities, despite nearby attractions. The Road Commission for Oakland County, City of Rochester Hills, and key stakeholders partnered with OHM Advisors to address these issues while positioning the corridor for the future.

RCOC first engaged OHM Advisors to conduct a study and develop a vision to improve the roadway while replacing the bridge over the Clinton River. All the while, the solution needed to preserve the historical, business, recreational, and environmental context of the corridor. That context—featuring the river, private property, and protected parkland and landmarks—created a constrained site. OHM Advisors proposed a system featuring two multi-lane roundabouts and a new bridge, a solution that met RCOC’s goals while accommodating the complicated site. Avon Road at Dequindre Road Roundabout and Bridge is Phase 1 of the plan’s implementation.

The roundabout provides an efficient solution with a unique twist—it extends onto the new bridge. This design, along with crowded utilities, extreme elevation changes and an extremely tight schedule, required careful coordination. Plus, the design needed to re-establish and protect the shoreline near the bridge while accommodating Phase 2, which included a major 96-inch water main along the roadway. OHM Advisors’ forward-thinking approach also included the design of a unique basin that stores river water during 100-year storms and manages stormwater from routine rainfall.

Through this collaborative and innovative transformation, the community now has a new bridge that elevates the aesthetics of the area and a roundabout that offers efficient traffic flow and safe connectivity to local attractions.

Project highlights: transportation engineering, surveying, transportation planning, multi-agency coordination, engineering design, roundabout design, landscape architecture, utility coordination, bridge design, bridge replacement, stormwater management