The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) released a proposed five-year plan this week outlining major upcoming construction projects in the Grand Traverse region – including road rehabilitation projects on M-113 and M-72 next year and the complete reconstruction of Grandview Parkway/East Front Street between Division Street and Garfield Avenue in 2022-23.

MDOT is accepting public feedback on its list of planned projects through August 21. According to MDOT North Region Planner Patty O’Donnell, the state transportation agency updates its five-year plan annually based on staff recommendations for projects in their respective regions.

“Staff all end up proposing, reviewing, and prioritizing projects, then after those are approved in Lansing, we go out for public comment and input,” O’Donnell explains. Input is especially sought from local governments if they know of upcoming land-use projects or developments planned along corridors targeted for road construction, and from the public on design, safety, or other improvements suggested for a particular stretch of road. Comments can be emailed to mdot-five-year-program@michigan.gov; a final draft of MDOT’s plan is expected to be approved by the State Transportation Committee on October 18.

O’Donnell says the project list is a concrete work plan for MDOT, meaning projects are likely to occur unless there are funding shortages or unexpected delays, such as unanticipated environmental issues. “This is what we work off of, but there may be some changes, and mostly those are due to levels of funding,” she says. MDOT’s upcoming list of major construction projects in the next five years in the three-county area include:

Grand Traverse County
> M-113 (2019): Road rehabilitation from the M-37 intersection east to Clark Street, 5.6 miles
> US-31 (2020): Minor road widening from Chums Corner to East Silver Lake Road, .6 miles
> M-37 (2021): Road rehabilitation from Vance Road to Blair Townhall Road, 1 mile
> M-37 (2021): Road rehabilitation from Blair Townhall Road to M-113, 4 miles
> East Front Street/US-31 (2022): Road reconstruction from Murchie Bridge to Garfield Avenue, .8 miles
> Grandview Parkway/US-31 (2023): Road reconstruction from Division Street to Murchie Bridge, 1.2 miles

Leelanau County
> M-72 (2019): Road rehabilitation from Fritz Road to Bugai/Gray Road, 12.1 miles

Benzie County
> US-31 (2020): Road reconstruction from M-115 south to the Betsie River, 1.4 miles
> US-31 (2021): Road rehabilitation from Crystal Drive west, 1 mile
> US-31 (2022): Road rehabilitation from east of Beulah to west of Honor, 2.1 miles

The reconstruction of Grandview Parkway/East Front Street/US-31 between Division Street and Garfield Avenue – split between two construction periods in 2022 and 2023 – is likely to be particularly impactful on local traffic, given the corridor is one of downtown Traverse City’s few east-west routes. Construction will go up to Murchie Bridge on either side; the bridge itself underwent a major repair project in 2017. The reconstruction project could also offer the opportunity for MDOT to reevaluate design features in the corridor, including pedestrian crosswalks that have sparked recent public controversy over safety concerns. But O’Donnell also notes changes to the crosswalks could come even sooner than 2023.

“This is a pilot project for two years, and we’re reviewing (the crosswalks) all along these two years,” O’Donnell says. “So you could see some changes come out of that before 2023.”

MDOT’s five-year plan indicates the state plans to invest $11.3 billion into Michigan’s transportation system between 2019 and 2023, including $8.7 billion into highway/road/bridge upgrades, $2.1 billion into bus, rail, and marine/port programs, and $508 million into aviation improvements. The highway program will “provide Michigan travelers with approximately 473 miles of improved roads per year over the next five years, and repairs to 119 bridges per year,” according to the plan. “MDOT will also manage its road system by extending the life of approximately 1,050 miles of pavement each year…and 400 miles of non-freeway resurfacing.” In MDOT’s North Region – which includes 21 northern Lower Michigan counties – a total of 187.5 miles of road are slated to be repaired.

Road construction is not the only major MDOT project on the horizon for the Grand Traverse region. Starting in fall 2019 and continuing through spring 2020, the department will be implementing a traffic signal upgrade project throughout Traverse City. The project calls for upgrades at 21 intersections along the US-31 corridor from South Airport Road to Grandview Parkway and on M-72/US-31 from M-22 to Acme. Plans include “full traffic signal modernization at 14 intersections and minor equipment updates at seven intersections,” O’Donnell says.

The upgrades will include new computerized control systems that monitor traffic conditions in real-time and can automatically adjust timing to meet traffic demand. MDOT staff can also monitor conditions with the new systems, such as during an accident, and manually adjust the signals. O’Donnell says MDOT is working with Traverse City and Grand Traverse County staff ahead of the project “to incorporate their signals as well so they’re talking with our signals.”