GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will soon install a detection system to help deter wrong-way drivers on US-131.
This comes after multiple wrong-way crashes on US-131 in Grand Rapids in the past five years, including a 2022 crash that killed 21-year-old Willow Yon and a 2019 crash that left both drivers dead.
The systems will be placed on wrong-way signs on several ramps between Ann Street and 28th Street. When a car is detected going the wrong way, lights on the sign will start flashing, a camera will begin recording and police will be notified.
This system has already been implemented on several ramps along US-131.
Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said that while the system may not stop all wrong-way drivers, it will help deter them.
"This is definitely a step in the right direction," said Winstrom. "It's progress when an issue is so important like this, with tragic consequences for people driving the wrong way on a highway...to make that progress is so important. It's something that we should be doing and I'm excited that we're part of it."
Wrong-way crashes on divided highways were up 34% between 2015 and 2018, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The top contributing factors include alcohol or drugs, older age and driving without a passenger.
"It's always astonishing and horrific when these types of crashes happen, but we're going to continue our proactive efforts to reduce the risk," said MDOT Grand Region Engineer Erick Kind. "We identified this six-mile section of US-131 as the highest concentration of traffic, bars, nightlife and other entertainment areas."
The system implementation is part of a partnership between the Grand Rapids Police Department, MDOT and Michigan State Police.
It is unclear when the remainder of the systems will be installed.
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