The City of Fenton is looking at ways to ease traffic on one of its major thoroughfares.

Silver Lake Road from Silver Parkway to Poplar Street has been the scene of growing traffic headaches as the surrounding area grows. At Tuesday night’s City Council work session, council members discussed a proposal from their traffic engineers to perform a study on that stretch. If accepted, peak hour weekday morning and afternoon movement will be monitored with special attention paid to the both US-23 entrance and exit ramps, Silver Parkway, Fenway Drive, and Poplar Street.

City Manager Lynn Markland said this new study would tie in closely with one recently completed. Markland said that the traffic engineers will already be coming to City Council’s February work session to discuss a completed study on the North Road and Poplar Street area, hoping they will be prepared to discuss both studies at that time.

One of the possible reasons for congestion given in a letter addressed to the City Manager from the engineering firm was that signals in the area might be not optimally synchronized. The possible need for additional lights at the highway ramps would also be analyzed. The traffic study would also provide future conditions analysis that would project traffic patterns through 2028. The cost of the study would come in at just under $11,000 with state funds potentially being available to help with some of that. City Council will vote on whether or not to go through with the study at an upcoming meeting. (MK)