Changes ahead for Michigan Avenue and Stadium Drive corridor

Kathy Jennings | Thursday, October 9, 2014

Corridor Meeting

Public Comment

Possible Options

Plan Developed

On the screen is a tangle of red arrows. These are the various lanes of traffic on Stadium Drive from Lovell to Michigan Avenue. And the way they overlap and curve around one another is one of the reasons pedestrians and bicyclists find those intersections so treacherous.

At a recent public meeting at the Raddison, the culmination of nearly a week's worth of analysis and community input on the Stadium Drive and Michigan Avenue corridors in Kalamazoo, a plan emerged that untangled the traffic lanes, created intersections with right angles and added green spaces. (See slides 26 and 27 here.)

It was just one of the ideas in the early steps of creating what are known as Complete Streets: Streets that are designed to be safe for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders. The Complete Street concept has been promoted in Kalamazoo since 2013.

Between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3 city leaders and transportation professionals from Michigan Department of Transportation and consultants took a look at Stadium Drive and Michigan Avenue from Western Michigan University to the Kalamazoo River.

A bike ride with Mayor Bobby Hopewell drew 40 participants, a pub crawl attracted 25, times when people could drop in to let planners know their thoughts on the transportation needs of the traffic corridor drew 110, there were 230 face-to-face interactions took place with planners, and another 840 people left comments on a map. Altogether the input of more than 1,275 people was collected as part of the process.

When it was all evaluated, residents told the transportation officials what they wanted was balance, rather than a traffic corridor that accommodated primarily motorized vehicles. They asked for solutions that would reduce the crossing distance pedestrians must travel, create more connections along the route for bicycles, and improve safety for people with disabilities or those who are otherwise vulnerable. Residents were looking for improved transit operations and friendlier service. For cars and trucks they requested improved safety options.

To see comment that people made regarding proposed changes to the Stadium Drive and Michigan Avenue study area please click here.

At the public meeting to show the community the direction plans are taking based on this input, Jeff Chamberlain, deputy city manager of Strategic Planning and Administration for the City of Kalamazoo, told the crowd of about 100 gathered to see the plans that he knows that many plans to improve Stadium Drive and Michigan Avenue have been made in the past and "this one feels different."

Chamberlain said the plan felt more solid than those previously discussed.

Jason Latham, Southwest Region Planner for MDOT, told the group that during the planning process ideas were shared back and forth without the territoriality that often takes place in such settings. "No one was saying, 'That's my road.' It was a network of streets that they all took ownership of together. It was fun to be a part of."

Latham cautioned that presenting the draft plans Oct. 3 did not mean change would be coming quickly. The next step would be for plan to go to MDOT designers, and that process can take two years. There also is currently no funding in place to make the proposed changes, though officials said during the session that Kalamazoo is the kind of community that finds a way to pull behind a good idea.

Josh Sikich of Alta Planning and Design presented the proposed changes for the route that started at around the intersection of Oliver Street and Stadium and continued on to Michigan Avenue and Kings Highway. At several points during the presentation the audience was asked its reaction to the plans.

Sikich indicated that the No. 1 comment received was that people wanted to see safer crossings, especially for pedestrians. Currently, there are not ways for people to cross safely and it creates a barrier that residents want to see removed.

In response a side path along Stadium Drive for pedestrians and bicycles, that also provides roadway beautification, streetscape enhancements, a better roadway configuration and a plan that treated bicyclists fairly has been suggested.

Though some people wanted an under- or overpass along Stadium, Sikich indicated that was not being considered because they are not used. "People want to be accommodated at street level. If you put them above or below traffic they are at a disadvantage."

A roundabout at Stadium and Michigan also is not being recommended, Sikich said. If one were put in place it would have to be very wide and it would not address the need to help pedestrians through the intersection.

Converting Michigan Avenue from a one-way to a two-way street also was not part of the proposal. "We can provide the benefits of what people want with a one-way street," Sikich said.

What is proposed includes the elimination of the "hodge-podge" of lanes between Oliver and Michigan Avenue. "We would straighten it out and use right angles that work for everyone." A lot of green space also would be added along the corridor. "There is so much space used for pavement. It's not needed and it's only being used so people can weave in and out."

A new gateway for Kalamazoo College, which the school's Greg Diment endorsed wholeheartedly after the meeting, also is proposed.

As the corridor continues onto Michigan Avenue, five 12-foot lanes for traffic would be reduced to one 12-foot lane, three 11 foot lanes a 3-foot green space, a 10-foot cycle track and a 10-foot sidewalk. Parking spaces are proposed on both sides of the roadway.

As the roadway narrows between Church and Rose, four lanes of traffic would be reduced to three. The track for bicycles would turn north on Rose and east on Water Street where it would connect with the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail.

The wider sidewalks from Rose to the Kalamazoo mall would provide what people are looking for in urban areas: places to eat outdoors, and cafes with outdoor seating, places that can accommodate art work. "Fun things that need sidewalk width," Sikich said.

He described Michigan Avenue east of Portage Street as a "great street" that would benefit from some aesthetic treatments. "We want to build off what is already there."

Those in attendance were asked to rate the plan as proposed and using electronic devices, 85 percent indicated they believed a balanced plan had been created.

MDOT's Latham said that though there currently is no funding for the Stadium Drive and Michigan Avenue project: "We want to keep the momentum going." The MDOT planners will not go away, he added. "The process is a long process to make sure we get a good project."

Kathy Jennings is the managing editor of Southwest Michigan's Second Wave. She is a freelance writer and editor.