M-DOT Considering Road Diet for Grand River Ave [[M-5)

[Scottathew]

MDOT and City of Detroit to host public meeting for M-5 [[Grand River Avenue)project in northwest Detroit

WHAT:
The Michigan Department of Transportation [[MDOT) and the City of Detroit will host an open house-style public meeting to provide an overview of the M-5 [[Grand River Avenue) project that includes a road diet between M-39 [[Southfield Freeway) and Berg Road, east of US-24 [[Telegraph Road). This project will convert seven lanes to five lanes with defined on-street parking and possible bike lanes. There will be an opportunity for the community and residents to reviewproject details and locations, provide comments and concerns, and ask questions.

WHO:
MDOT staff
City of Detroit [[Neighborhoods, and Planning and Development Department)
Project consultants
Residents and interested stakeholders

WHEN:
Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Brief presentation at 6 p.m.

WHERE:
Crowell Community Center
16630 Lahser Road
Detroit

Accommodations can be made for persons with disabilities and limited English-speaking ability. Large print materials, auxiliary aids or the services of interpreters, signers, or readers available upon request. Please call 517-335-4381.

BACKGROUND:
MDOT and the City of Detroit have partnered to implement this $12 million project on M-5 [[Grand River Avenue) that includes resurfacing, sidewalks, and water main work between M-39 and Berg Road, and streetscaping in two sections,from Cooley Street to McNichols Road and from Evergreen Road to Glastonbury Road.
Project area: https://bit.ly/2P7Iszt

The final layout of the roadway cross section has not been determined; the design phase is just beginning. MDOT and the City of Detroit are seeking community feedback to determine the final roadway cross section. Further design community review meetings will be held in early 2019 and construction is planned for summer 2019.

Information on previous community meetings and City of Detroit neighborhood planning in the Grand River Northwest corridor can be found at www.detroitmi.gov/northwest.

[royce]

Grand River is the one arterial road that doesn't need a "road diet." As the announcement mentions, Grand River for its majority is only seven lanes wide: two travel lanes, one parking lane on each side and the dreaded left turn lane. I can't see having only one lane for traffic on each side of the street and two bike lanes. I can't see two traffic lanes, two bike lanes, and parking on only one side of the street [[this actually uses six lanes). I really can't imagine what the configuration is going to be. Guess I better make it to the meeting.

[Meddle]

If indeed the city is making any sort of recovery that even might lead to increase commuter traffic, they need to leave this alone. I drove Grand River MANY times instead of the Jeffries. I could make it from Telegraph downtown almost as fast as I could by freeway some days.

When the reversible center lane was active giving three travel lanes, it could be even faster.

For those that don't remember, the center lane was inbound in the morning and outbound in the evening on weekdays. The rest of the time it was a left turn lane. There were signal lights over it with either a green arrow or red X showing which mode was active.

Traffic flow was fairly heavy many days, but it moved well.

[Seven&wyo]

Didn't you move out, like, 30 years ago?

[Atticus]

This is much more a push from the City of Detroit than MDOT.

Historically [[20 or 30 years ago), MDOT operated under the “we know best” philosophy, and would do whatever MDOT thought was best on their highway regardless of what a local government wanted. And historically, MDOT usually thought moving more cars was best.., so they would construct the highways in a way that prioritized car movements above all else.

Today, MDOT is a much different agency with much less money to spend. In most cases today, MDOT will just concede with whatever the local government wants. So if the city is pushing for a Road Diet on Grand River, MDOT will go along with it. Yes, it is an MDOT highway, but on these types of project decisions, it is almost always the local government who pulls the strings these days.

[Lowell]

I like it. Grand River would benefit from a make over. I believe it would greatly enhance retail and blight abatement efforts in Redford and Rosedale Park, which have shown signs of life. Platform, the Fisher Building and New Center developers, have plans for and properties in Redford and it makes me wonder if they are making their connections work.

I would like to see the stretch from Telegraph to the Farmington bypass widened. That has to have the narrowest lanes in metro and makes for nervous driving. It would be a relatively easy and unobtrusive task as it could nibble from the wide 40' grassy meridian that runs there.

My real dream would be to see the light electric interurban rail restored and run down the center of that meridian and on to downtown.

[Hypestyles]

.... best of luck. be sure to have better defined turning.