Michigan-Grand River Avenue Corridor Study moves forward

The Michigan-Grand River Avenue Corridor Study took another step forward when it whittled down its list of public transportation options to light rail transit, bus rapid transit and modern street car.

The project will attempt to connect the Capitol to Marsh Road on Grand River and Michigan avenues through multimodal transportation, which will include bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways. If approved, the project will seek funding through a Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts grant as well as other levels of state and federal funding.

“This would make that movement in a dedicated way, like a lane or a portion of the corridor,” said Debbie Alexander, assistant executive director for Capital Area Transportation Authority, or CATA. “Hopefully it will be a catalyst to additional economic growth and attractive for urban living along the corridor.”

Alexander said light rail transit, modern streetcar and bus rapid transit were the public’s top choices in a series of open forums held in January. The three choices also were the only ones to pass a fatal flaw analysis, making them the most logistical and affordable options.

Although planning still is in its preliminary stages — pedestrian, safety and traffic analyses will not be completed until the end of fall — East Lansing Mayor Vic Loomis said he has several questions regarding how any form of transportation would pass through the city’s downtown.

Issues Loomis said will be of importance are how left turn lanes, the median and walkability would be affected by the project, noting the city went through a process 15 years ago to reconstruct the median to be more aesthetic and functional.

Despite individual communities’ concerns, members of the study’s steering committee have entered meetings with a regional mindset, said Denyse Ferguson, president and CEO for the Lansing Economic Area Partnership.

Ferguson said communities have been motivated to work together because transportation projects such as the one being discussed can reap economic gains for the region.

“Along the corridor obviously it would be a significant boost and bring a lot more traffic,” she said. “When you look at other cities in regions around the country, development rises around projects like this … this really presents an option for getting around the full community.”