The new blacktop on Michigan is down. It is so nice and visually improves the whole neighborhood. I am still hoping for the BRT, and I don't think that this pavement job is a sign that they are making different plans. The radio news made it sound like it was all because of the Chamber of Commerce demanding action. Wow if it was that easy they should have been demanding years ago, how about demanding Capitol Ave, N Washington Ave, E Grand Ave, East Lansing 127 exit from 496 and on and on be repaved. I am hoping the coming funds will accelerate and expand these projects.
I was just driving on it, and I had the exact same thought. They literally did it in a few days. If it was that easy, this should have been done years ago. Looks like they milled the street and everything. Yeah, it's going to have to be rebuilt, but it's been clear for a few years now that the BRT project was going to be delayed by multiple factors.
I have noticed that the construction has resumed on the brewery pub in the former bank on E. Michigan Ave after on long break, I was happy to see that. Also they have put up the first wall for the apartments across the street, it is always good to see these projects actually start to take shape and rise out if the dirt.
Good to hear this. I was waiting to hear from the guy when the former deputy CEO announced her retirement a few years back.
LANSING -- Despite local opposition and uncertainty at the federal level, the Capital Area Transportation Authority isn't giving up on its plan to build a bus rapid transit system that would connect Lansing, East Lansing and Meridian Township.
A new project manager, Bradley Funkhouser, CATA's deputy CEO, will start work on the effort on Monday. Debbie Alexander, the former BRT project manager, has retired; her last day was Friday.
Apparently 10-14 Route #1 trips per week is over capacity. And, this is something that's been true for awhile, now. I know that as far back as a decade a go during rush-hour I'd either been skipped by overcrowded buses along the route or got in just before they'd reach capacity. In my exprience, this usually happen in between downtown and Frandor, though, I wouldn't be surprised to find it happened as far east as Hagadorn.
Anyway, the FTA (Federal Transit Administration) still has it among its active projects.
Say, anybody know who'd I'd contact at MSU about the need for more crosswalks west of Harrison on Michigan Ave? I'd guess at least a couple hundred people cross there everyday, more will once Skyvue is done, it's absurd there are no crosswalks. I've emailed at least one East Lansing councilwoman and was told "it's a state road but I'll let the city manager now". I tweeted to MDOT-Lansing and they said they'd let their engineers know to study the issue. I also emailed someone at CATA and got no reply, since the fact that there are busy CATA stops on both sides of the street is the source of much of the crossing. Occurred to me that, especially with MSU going anti-BRT on the grounds that it would make it harder to cross Michigan, maybe if they knew how hard it already was to cross Michigan in this stretch they'd do something about it.
The Red Cedar golf course redevelopment is supposed to add crosswalks but I'm not too hopeful that the project will start anytime soon. And the BRT could add those crosswalks but that project doesn't look to be moving soon either. I think MDOT is the best bet.
Yep, MDOT is the best bet. At least between the city limits and Grand River Avenue, Michigan Avenue is M-143. It's a weird almost 1 mile stretch of state highway spur off of Grand River (M-43). On the other side of the border in Lansing it turns back into a city/township road.
Speaking of pedestrian issues, I think I've just discovered something. I've always complained about the lack of sidewalk on the westside of Clippert in Frandor, and have always blamed it on it being township land. Well, a closer look at both the zoning map, master plan land use map, and Google Maps seem to show that the city limits actually jog ever-so-slightly west of Clippert. I wonder if even the city has anyone who realizes this?
I guess what gets confusing about this situation is that though the city can unilaterally levy a special assessment to property owners in the city to build a sidewalk along a particular route, that I'm not sure if they can do this when the rest of the property in question is literally in another local government's jurisdiction. So, maybe the city does realize that this small strip of land west of Clippert in front of those businesses is in the city, but can't really do anything with it unless they'd pay all the costs.
If someone wanted to get to the city before I do about it, they could. Even if they can't levy the property owners, this would be worthwhile for the city to do, itself, if they indeed have jurisdiction over this land.
Well, in something coming up on a scandal, the revelation that CATA has filed late taxes and been penalized for it the past few years is already being used by Meridian Township as a talking point by anything CATA hopes to do in the future. It seems almost too convenient even if CATA needs to do better. None none of the townships could stop the project, but if they are really dead-set against it, they could waste their money tying the project up with lawsuits. Hopefully, that doesn't happen.
Though, the former finance director's opinion that his department was a "mess" and "poorly-designed" my speak to why everything at CATA seems to be amateurish in recent years, and probably speaks slightly to the huge decline in ridershipship the system had the previous fiscal year and it just generally stagnating.
To the authority's credit, they have since hired a controller who will report to both the finance director and the CEO, so it looks like they have already fixed the problem with the taxes. Apparently, previous finance directors weren't being honest with the CEO, so this adds a layer of independent oversight. But, like I said, some are already using the scandal as a cudgel against this project.
Comments
Good to hear this. I was waiting to hear from the guy when the former deputy CEO announced her retirement a few years back.
Apparently 10-14 Route #1 trips per week is over capacity. And, this is something that's been true for awhile, now. I know that as far back as a decade a go during rush-hour I'd either been skipped by overcrowded buses along the route or got in just before they'd reach capacity. In my exprience, this usually happen in between downtown and Frandor, though, I wouldn't be surprised to find it happened as far east as Hagadorn.
Anyway, the FTA (Federal Transit Administration) still has it among its active projects.
Say, anybody know who'd I'd contact at MSU about the need for more crosswalks west of Harrison on Michigan Ave? I'd guess at least a couple hundred people cross there everyday, more will once Skyvue is done, it's absurd there are no crosswalks. I've emailed at least one East Lansing councilwoman and was told "it's a state road but I'll let the city manager now". I tweeted to MDOT-Lansing and they said they'd let their engineers know to study the issue. I also emailed someone at CATA and got no reply, since the fact that there are busy CATA stops on both sides of the street is the source of much of the crossing. Occurred to me that, especially with MSU going anti-BRT on the grounds that it would make it harder to cross Michigan, maybe if they knew how hard it already was to cross Michigan in this stretch they'd do something about it.
Yep, MDOT is the best bet. At least between the city limits and Grand River Avenue, Michigan Avenue is M-143. It's a weird almost 1 mile stretch of state highway spur off of Grand River (M-43). On the other side of the border in Lansing it turns back into a city/township road.
Speaking of pedestrian issues, I think I've just discovered something. I've always complained about the lack of sidewalk on the westside of Clippert in Frandor, and have always blamed it on it being township land. Well, a closer look at both the zoning map, master plan land use map, and Google Maps seem to show that the city limits actually jog ever-so-slightly west of Clippert. I wonder if even the city has anyone who realizes this?
I guess what gets confusing about this situation is that though the city can unilaterally levy a special assessment to property owners in the city to build a sidewalk along a particular route, that I'm not sure if they can do this when the rest of the property in question is literally in another local government's jurisdiction. So, maybe the city does realize that this small strip of land west of Clippert in front of those businesses is in the city, but can't really do anything with it unless they'd pay all the costs.
If someone wanted to get to the city before I do about it, they could. Even if they can't levy the property owners, this would be worthwhile for the city to do, itself, if they indeed have jurisdiction over this land.
Well, in something coming up on a scandal, the revelation that CATA has filed late taxes and been penalized for it the past few years is already being used by Meridian Township as a talking point by anything CATA hopes to do in the future. It seems almost too convenient even if CATA needs to do better. None none of the townships could stop the project, but if they are really dead-set against it, they could waste their money tying the project up with lawsuits. Hopefully, that doesn't happen.
Though, the former finance director's opinion that his department was a "mess" and "poorly-designed" my speak to why everything at CATA seems to be amateurish in recent years, and probably speaks slightly to the huge decline in ridershipship the system had the previous fiscal year and it just generally stagnating.
To the authority's credit, they have since hired a controller who will report to both the finance director and the CEO, so it looks like they have already fixed the problem with the taxes. Apparently, previous finance directors weren't being honest with the CEO, so this adds a layer of independent oversight. But, like I said, some are already using the scandal as a cudgel against this project.