Top city and state transportation officials joined U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., at a roundtable event Wednesday, calling for an increased federal commitment to local transportation funding that would be used to help streamline area bus transportation along Grand River and Michigan avenues.
Officials from the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Capital Area Transportation Authority, or CATA, said uncertainties surrounding funding for transportation projects have made it difficult to plan for major infrastructure needs, including a local initiative that would spruce up the Michigan/Grand River Avenue Corridor.
“There are real tangible impacts … on projects that have been in the works for years,” East Lansing Mayor Pro Tem and CATA Board Member Nathan Triplett said at the meeting, held at the CATA Administration Building, 4615 Tranter St., in Lansing.
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have been unable to push forward their version of a transportation bill that previously passed with bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate.
The gridlock is hampering significant work at lower governmental levels, officials at the meeting said, such as plans for the Bus Rapid Transit System project. The project would set aside room for bus lanes on an approximately 8.4-mile stretch of road running from near MSU to the Capitol.
Project development would require about $23 million in funding, with about $18.4 million coming from the federal government. About $4.6 million would come from the state.
Adding separate bus lanes could speed up traffic around campus, professional writing senior Noelle Sciarini said.
“Construction would probably take up a lot of time,” she said. “In terms of traffic, … it would probably help things.”
A 90-day extension of the Senate’s bill, which passed the Senate in March 2012, is now in place to give representatives more time to vote on the bill, but Levin said the lack of a stable situation is making things more difficult.
“These repeated short-term extensions are driving … people pretty crazy,” Levin said at the meeting.
Bob Trezise, president and CEO of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, or LEAP, said the Michigan/Grand River Avenue Corridor is the “spine” of the region, providing economic stability and potential opportunities for new business.
The corridor’s extensive traffic could drive further economic growth through increased accessibility, Trezise said.
“It’s about rebuilding our region,” he said at the meeting. “It builds a new image for us.”
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