By David Fleet

Editor

Groveland Twp.– Jennifer Simsack lives about a half-mile east of the Perryville Road and Dixie Highway intersection.

For most weekends the rural crossroads has very little traffic. However, in late summer the placid country intersection takes on a new look during the weekends in late August through early October when nearby Michigan Renaissance Festival attracts an estimated 250,000 visitors over the course of the event.

“We really support the revenue the festival brings to the area,” said Simsack. “We have just learned to cope with the traffic backup. We often just avoid the intersection and go another way. We understand why, but the deputies often make us turn north on Dixie Highway when I need to go south toward Clarkston. It’s a difficult situation.”

Woes for the late summer township event have drawn the concern of residents like Simsack as well as township officials. As a result, following a host of issues in late 2015— Groveland Township and Holly Township officials have worked with Renaissance managers to contend with the congestion during festival days.

On Tuesday night, the township planning commission voted 5-0 and OK’d a one-year permit for the Renaissance Festival contingent on several changes to curb the issues along Dixie Highway during the hours of operation.

“We’ve had bad days out there before, but the last two weekends last fall were the absolute worst,” said Bob DePalma, township supervisor. ‘When the festival draws 22,000 people per day it’s fine, but when those numbers top 29,000, like it did for two weekends last year, there are problems.”

DePalma’s concern stems from the Renaissance Festival weekends of Sept. 19-20 and 26-27, where traffic on Dixie Highway was bumper-to-bumper for miles in both directions for several hours. Traffic stretched from the Renaissance entrance north to I-75 then south to McGinnis Lake and on Grange Hall Road west over the I-75 ramp. The gridlock boxed in the township fire station and at one point forced an emergency service vehicle to travel the wrong way down Dixie Highway, he said.

“The meetings have gone well over the past year,” he said. “The changes are a start we are confident the traffic congestion will be reduced.”

Check out Comcast channel 10 for a complete report by DePalma on the Renaissance Festival traffic issues.

Changes to traffic management at the Renaissance Festival: 

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Four electronic digital signs will be located at two I -75 ramps and two Dixie Highway locations north and south of the festival that can be changed remotely by Renaissance. Festival managers if the traffic backup on Dixie Highway becomes too great.

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The Oakland County Sheriff Office or the Groveland Township Fire Chief or Groveland Township Supervisor can close the parking lot to the Renaissance Festival if the Dixie Highway backup is so great that access to Fire Station 1 at Grange Hall Road is compromised.

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The traffic on Dixie Highway will be monitored by a Groveland Township Fire Department drone. The visual data will be recorded and analyzed.

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A traffic count of vehicles entering the Renaissance parking lot will be provided.

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Individuals with counters will be posted at the entrance.

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Significantly enlarge the main parking lot south of the festival west of Dixie Highway.

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Increase the number of parking lot attendants to ten.

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Increase the number of Oakland County Sheriff deputies from seven to 13.

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Utilize Mt. Holly Ski and Snowboarding Resort for additional parking for the last four weekends of the festival.

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Lease 18 acres in the 13000 block Dixie Highway for parking on the east side of the road.