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[manzell3]

The Capital Area Transportation Authority in Lansing, MI,  is leading a coalition of agencies, municipalities and community  organizations in evaluating long-term multimodal enhancement options  along the 7.1 mile stretch of Michigan Avenue and Grand River Avenue between the Capitol and  Meridian Mall. The study is the first phase of one or many projects  that will improve transportation options in this stretch.

I say  'one or many' because we really do not know what the final outcome will  be. The study will be looking at all modes of transportation in the  corridor; including biking, walking, automotive, and transit.

The  improvements on the corridor will be made to increase mobility for  persons along the corridor. We will look at everything from safety to  land use to congestion and traffic counts to see what can be done  better. The study will also pay attention to opportunities for economic  development along the corridor.

The overriding motivation behind this study is the importance of this  corridor to our region. With the state capital, Sparrow Hospital, MSU,  Meridian Mall, and everything in between in the study area, the vitality of the corridor affects  not only our local region, but has state, national and international  implications as well.

From the transportation side, there are  many reasons to study this corridor further. First among these is the  corridor's high transit ridership. With over 1.7 million trips on Route  1 alone, this corridor is one of the most-served in the Midwest (with  10-15 minute service for much of the day), but also one of the  highest-traveled in a year.

Additionally, the corridor has an  average daily traffic count (ADT) of up to 28,000 vehicles per  day, which is the among the highest-traveled non-highway routes in our  region.

CATA is especially interested because of a 2005  Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA). The study found that Route 1  (along the corridor) carries over 10% of the trips on Grand River Avenue, and recommended  conducting a more in-depth transit study.

MDOT recommended  that, rather than concentrating only on transit improvements, the study  should be of all transportation options in the corridor, including  transit, walking, biking, and automobile.

The study is being funded  entirely through a federal grant to CATA. As the team leader, CATA has  assembled a group of government officials, heads of local organizations  such as LEAP and the Lansing Chamber, state and regional officials such  as the Ingham County Road Commission and MDOT, to study this corridor.

If you want more information, check out our 'interim' website at www.migrtrans.org or on facebook.  A new website that doesn't look home-made will be up and runnning in less than a week's time.