The Michigan Departments of Natural Resources and Transportation just released the results of a 2-year study on improving mobility on Belle Isle. Some of the recommendations include a complete makeover of Central Avenue, removal of any remnants from the Grand Prix in favor of more green space, shifting parking areas on the island, a possible ferry service and improvements to the intersection of Jefferson and E. Grand Blvd.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...s/77909986007/A big focus of the study, which is laid out in eight chapters, is on the need to shift the island’s transportation focus.
“With most of the park’s visitors arriving by car, this negatively impacts the visitor experience. In addition, there are periods when congestion at certain points on the island forces the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to close the island to new visitors,” the report said, noting that that often prevents people who had to leave the island for one reason or another, maybe to retrieve something, from returning.
The situation prompts people to wait in their cars at East Grand and Jefferson until the park once again allows more people in.
The study’s recommendations begin with reconfiguring that intersection and improving the signal timing as well as making changes to the MacArthur Bridge, focused on two lanes of traffic in each direction, buffered two-way bike lanes on one side and 10-foot sidewalks. Central Avenue would also see major changes. Taking inspiration from the “well-known pedestrian-centered street,” La Rambla, in Barcelona, Spain, the design of a proposed promenade would push cars to the outside with people concentrated in the center for much of its length, the study said.
Bookmarks