Press Release: Ottawa Beach Rd. lane reconfiguration taking place today (April 14) in Park Township

Ottawa County, Michigan sent this bulletin at 04/14/2025 08:41 AM EDT
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For immediate release: 4/14/25

Media Contact:
Alex Doty, Communications Administrator | 616-842-5400

Ottawa Beach Road lane reconfiguration taking place today in Park Township

Today, April 14, 2025, painting contractors for the Ottawa County Road Commission (OCRC) will be converting one of westbound lanes of Ottawa Beach Road into a center left turn lane between 144th Ave. and 160th Ave.

The OCRC is implementing this change in collaboration with Park Township on a multi-year pilot program.

Sometimes called a “road diet,” the reduction of lanes and availability of a dedicated left turn lane can improve safety for motorists and pedestrians.

Ottawa Beach Rd Road Diet Limits

ABOVE: Affected portion of Ottawa Beach Road, 144th Ave. to 160th Ave.

Road Diet Configuration

ABOVE: Lane changes from the Road Diet.

The OCRC worked in collaboration with Park Township to better understand available solutions for traffic on Ottawa Beach Road. The OCRC recommended the conversion of a westbound lane into a two-way left turn lane to enable safer turns and reduce the occurrence of speeding along the corridor.

Traffic Impact

Based on Ottawa Beach Road’s current traffic volumes, significant traffic congestion is not anticipated as a result of this change. Ottawa Beach Road has very little traffic congestion apart from where the road narrows to two lanes west of 160th Avenue approaching the Holland State Park. Nearly all traffic there is seasonal from backups entering the State Park, which does not affect the portion of road under consideration for this change.

What about service vehicles like mail and waste removal?

A key consideration of the study will be looking at traffic impacts from USPS, package delivery and waste removal services on the single-laned westbound portion of the road. These services currently do not impede traffic in other areas of the township with a similar lane configuration. As on other roads, vehicles will need to slow down and safely pass delivery trucks, yielding the right of way to any vehicles already in the left turn lane.

Cost

The OCRC is covering the cost of repainting the lanes for this change utilizing its existing pavement marking program. There is no cost to Park Township for this change.