The Michigan Department of Transportation has redirected their improvement plans for the stretch of US-23 between I-94 and M-14. After community members and public officials voiced concerns about MDOT's plan to widen US-23, the department has dismissed expansion plans.
Mike Davis Jr. is a senior region planner with MDOT.
“The previous alternatives that we included in the study have been studied and have been dismissed, based on what we heard from the public, our community stakeholders, the general public, municipal leaders, and others.”
The dismissed alternatives include the addition of a high-occupancy vehicle lane, Flex Lane, or general-purpose lane. Instead, Davis says the department is revising the project emphasizing safety and improving existing infrastructure.
“Maintaining the existing infrastructure that MDOT has in Washtenaw County rather than on an expansion. We think that, even though we’re removing some of the alternatives, we are achieving many of the desires of the Washtenaw County community as a whole."
Davis says there will likely be additional public engagement sessions on the alternatives in the fall.
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