Page 14 - FOCUS February 2020

The Road to a Better Region

Addressing Mid-Michigan’s Top Priority Highway Problem

Trowbridge Road Trowbridge Road
Afternoon (PM)
Peak Traffic Lane Extension, Add 3 rd Lane,
EB I-496 to
Afternoon (PM) Peak Dunckel Exit Dunckel to I-496/
US-127 Split
Bottleneck Areas WB I-496 /
Future Hospital/ NB US-127 Future Hospital/
Health Care Health Care
Campus Site Campus Site
Proposed Roadway Fixes
EB I-496 /
SB US-127 • WB I-496 / NB US-127
o Add a 3 rd lane from Dunckel Road
to the I-496 / US-127 split
Single Vehicle
Crashes o Extend the NB Dunckel Road on-
ramp acceleration lane
Future City • EB I-496 / SB US-127
Morning (AM) Peak of Lansing o Extend the lane from the EB I-496
Bottleneck Areas Roundabout lane drop to the Dunckel exit ramp
o Extend the SB US-127 lane drop
Morning (AM)
Peak Traffic o Realign/reconstruct the WB
LEGEND (During Commute): Trowbridge Road entrance ramp
0 to 25 mph
25 to 45 mph
Free Flow Traffic
Direction of Traffic
(color differs based
on flow of traffic)
the I-96, Waverly and Creyts Road interchanges
Current Traffic Congestion Future Traffic with Fix getting safety improvements.

Local leaders say the next priority infrastructure project should be targeted in the U.S. 127/I 496 area, which would include widening the intersection to three lanes.
“The interchange work at Creyts and Waverly Roads
Commissioner and a foundation member of CAPCOG. “It is a very serious bottleneck there.” will make those exit and entrance ramps flow a lot
better,” said Fletcher. “We are also working on a
The Greater Lansing contingent also cites the importance of timing the project to coincide with several non-motorized pathway to make that whole area
significant developments along the U.S. 127 Corridor including McLaren Greater Lansing’s new hospital off safer for pedestrians.”
U.S. 127 near I-96.
Infrastructure upgrades go well beyond the well-
“We’re trying to get this done sooner, so we are not closing the road every year due to different projects documented road needs in the state. Communities
and causing frequent traffic disruptions,” said LRCC’s Japinga. “That’s why we are asking the Governor and must grapple with aging sewer and water systems
MDOT to do it now.” and rebuild drains needed to support growth.
Fletcher notes that Delta’s top infrastructure project
LOCAL VOTERS TAKING MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS will be replacing its wastewater treatment facility
over the next six years.
In an era where the thought of a tax increase is often met with opposition among the electorate, frustration
over infrastructure seems to be causing a shift in thinking. Meridian Township was one of five townships INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT LEADS TO
in Michigan to approve a new road millage during the recent November election. The road plan calls for ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
spending $35 million over the next 10 years to fix 147 miles of streets in Meridian Township.
The Michigan Avenue and Coleman Road wins
“In Meridian Township, you’re going to be riding on good streets,” said Ron Styka, Meridian Township demonstrate the regional power collaborations that
supervisor. “It will also be a plus for values in the township. If I were going to buy a home on a street that is unify around a common interest.
in bad shape, I wouldn’t pay as much. Overall, it’ll be positive for the township, good for our image and good
for our citizens.” “I no longer concern myself with what county it is
in,” said Showers. “We compete as a region with
Among other high priority, local infrastructure projects on the horizon is a plan to convert one-way streets in Columbus, Ohio, Cincinnati and Minneapolis-
downtown Lansing to two-way streets. The city received $3.3 million from the state this year for converting St Paul. Those municipalities have overcome the
one-way streets, starting in 2020. parochialism that typically plagues communities
before people begin to understand they are part of
Two years ago, Delta Township voters approved a 1.5 mill levy over 10 years that will bring all local roads up a greater region.”
to good condition, according to Township Supervisor Ken Fletcher. In April, MDOT begins a $60 million
rebuild of I-496 between I-96 and Lansing Road. The project will include new exit and entrance ramps, with The spin-off development that is occurring along

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