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Pat Gilbert 517.394.1100
LANSING, MI – A group of regional leaders have agreed to move forward with a detailed study of transit options that could improve transportation along the corridor between downtown Lansing and Meridian Mall. Rapid transit buses, modern streetcars, and light rail line are the three options under consideration.
The Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) is using federal capital improvement money to look at better ways to move people along the congested seven-mile Michigan/Grand River Avenue Corridor in the future. If one of the three transit options becomes the local preference and receives federal funding, officials expect it to positively impact all of the communities along the Corridor.
“This project fosters urban living, which is important to the core downtown areas,” said East Lansing Mayor Victor Loomis. “It also ties the communities together and helps us to promote two major assets – the state Capitol building and Michigan State University.”
After several months of studying a wide range of transit options, bus rapid transit (BRT), modern streetcar, and light rail transit (LRT) met all of the criteria for more detailed study. Conventional buses also will be evaluated as a benchmark for the three transit alternatives.
The evaluation criteria included cost, ridership, potential environmental impact, consistency with local plans and policies, and agency and public opposition. Several public open houses were held along the Corridor. Five of the transit options originally considered – commuter rail, heavy rail, magnetic levitation (MagLev), electric trolley, and an automatic guideway transit (like the Detroit People Mover) – have been eliminated from further consideration.
“Our next steps will include involving more stakeholders along the Michigan/Grand River Avenue corridor as we move into the more technical part of the study, including concept design and identifying potential station locations,” said Debbie Alexander, CATA’s assistant executive director.
Before the end of the year, the detailed evaluation will lead to a decision on whether to leave the Corridor as it is, make streetscape and infrastructure improvements along the Corridor that enhance the existing bus system, or build one of the three transit systems being evaluated.
If the “locally preferred alternative” includes upgrades, the CATA board would apply for federal funding and oversee the construction project.
Members of the Michigan/Grand River Avenue Transportation Study Steering Committee are Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero; Tri-County Regional Planning Director Jon Coleman; Lansing Township Supervisor John Daher; Lansing Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tim Daman; CATA CEO/Executive Director Sandy Draggoo; Lansing Economic Area Partnership President and CEO Denyse Ferguson; East Lansing Mayor Victor Loomis; Meridian Township Supervisor Susan McGillicuddy; MSU Vice President for Operations Fred Poston; and Michigan Department of Transportation Chief Deputy Director Jacqueline Shinn.