It's a bird, it's a crazy person, it's a...roadway term?!

A loon is pavement that is constructed outside of the normal traffic lanes to allow for larger vehicles to safely make a U-turn on a divided roadway. The name is derived from resemblance in the design of the roadway and the silhouette of a loon’s head. Due to their wide use throughout the state, they are also commonly referred to as a “Michigan Left”. Michigan has used the loon feature as a way to eliminate left turn lanes at intersections and improve traffic congestion. Drivers wanting to turn left at an intersection from a major roadway must travel through the intersection, execute a U-turn at the median crossover, and then make a right turn at the crossroad.

Carpenter Marty Transportation completed the design of a loon as part of the MOT-166-7.03 project. This is one of two loons located in Montgomery County. The loon design was added into the MOT-166-7.03 project at the request of the Montgomery County Engineer’s Office. After receiving feedback from residents about the restricted access to their homes, the loon feature was added to allow vehicles traveling eastbound a safe turnaround through the median in order to enter residences on the north side of the roadway.

The MOT-166-7.03 project included improvement of nearly a half mile of Austin Boulevard (formerly Austin Pike) located in Montgomery County, Ohio. Carpenter Marty Transportation provided complete engineering design services for this project. Improvements included, but were not limited to, widening the existing roadway, construction of a new shared-use path, and traffic signal updating. Complete survey services, project base mapping, utility coordination, right-of-way design, and legal description preparation were also provided.

WDTN conducted an interview with the Montgomery County Engineer, Paul Gruner, on this new, rare roadway feature.