News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Dozens of people attended a public hearing on Monday about the proposed extension of 3rd Avenue in Alpena. A large portion of those who attended was against the road plan.

ALPENA — People who support or oppose the proposed extension of 3rd Avenue in Alpena out to Tamarack Road had a chance to make their voices heard at a public hearing on Monday night.

The public hearing was held by the Alpena County Road Commission at the Alpena Township office buildings. A large majority of those who made public comments oppose the expansion.

The road commission and township are exploring extending the road and each has pleaded $1 million for the estimated $2 million project. A roundabout where 3rd Avenue and Barrington Circle meet is also being considered to help slow traffic.

Construction could begin before the year ends if the road commission and Alpena Township Board of Trustees approve the project.

People who support the plan say the extension offers another way in and out of the Thunder Bay Junior High School. They say now, if there was a large emergency at the school, there is only one way in and one way out.

People who are opposed to the extension and say traffic in that area is already a burden think extending the street will only make things worse. Some of those people agree that there needs to be another access point to the school, but it needs to be done differently.

Supporters also say having another route to reach M-32 from Alpena, would reduce traffic on the highway and make it safer.

The City of Alpena also has concerns about the project. City Manager Rachel Smolinski attended the meeting to express her concerns about how the extension and increased traffic could impact city infrastructure.

Smolinski said the city was never involved in the planning process, despite the fact the action would impact it. Smolinski asked the board to be more thorough in its plans and consider other options. Most of all, Smolinski said, the road commission shouldn’t base this proposed project on projections from a traffic study done more than two decades ago.

She said if a new study proves extending 3rd Avenue is the safest and fits the needs of residents, she could support the project down the road.

“Is this truly the best solution for the community?” Smolinski said. “If it is in the best interest of the community then I will support it, but you must do your due diligence, consult with all stakeholders and consider all impacts. It is not prudent to make a decision of this scale based on a 21-year-old study.”

Alpena Public Schools Superintendent Dave Rabbideau said the school district doesn’t have a stance on the project and added it has met with first responders to make sure there is adequate access and they did recommend another access point be added. He said the school district will leave the planning, design work, and implementation to the professionals. He said APS would like a seat at the table for future talks and decision-making.

“It would absolutely have an impact on our institution, so we would like to be included in the conversation,” he said.

The commissioners for the road commission didn’t take any action about the project, but they said they would consider all of the comments as the process for the proposed process moves forward.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.