Forest Ave "Improvements"

The new "improvements" on outer Forest Ave are curious. After adding a bicycle lane to promote alt transportation they have now installed concrete islands on either end from the intersection at Warren and down at the industrial parkway. While I could be misinformed or off base I see several problems and/or issues:

1. The cost. It doesn't seem like a necessary improvement and it must have cost $5-$20k?
2. Will a raised island create a plowing hazard during the winter?
3. With cars already merging westbound after the warren ave intersection, the island creates a further bottleneck with traffic speeding up after a light, going downhill and coming around a blind corner. Cars turning right or the bus either block the road completely or block or drift into the bicycle lane. We already had one accident on the first night after the island was finished.

Is this a beautification project? Is it traffic control? Forest/302 is a major commuter thoroughfare and bloodline into the city(along with Congress and Washington). Perhaps a better idea would have been the addition of a center turn lane?