DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Right now, Michigan Avenue runs two lanes in each direction between Creyts Road and Dibble Street.
Delta Township wants to combine two of those traffic lanes and turn them into a middle turn lane, so they can add a bike lane in each direction.
Township Manager Brian Reed says it will make the road safer while also making Lansing more accessible.
"It's been in our non-motorized plan since 2012 to include bike lanes on Michigan Avenue," said Reed. "We recently added bike lanes on Willow Highway and Old Lansing Road. Michigan Avenue is a third thoroughfare with bike lanes where people can get into Lansing and use it for either recreation or transportation."
You might think reducing a road from four lanes to three would make traffic slower.
The township decided to take a closer look.
"Any time you do a road change like that you do a pretty comprehensive road study...so that's what we did," said Reed.
The study showed removing two traffic lanes and adding a left-turn lane would actually help during periods of heavy traffic.
"It would calm traffic, make the area more safe and provide some non-motorized facilities on Michigan Avenue," said Reed.
A safer road with bike lanes is a perfect combination for a school zone.
"School safety is really important to us," said Reed. "Waverly has a lot of schools in that area...I feel like calming traffic through the school zone...we think it'll make that safer."
There will be a public information meeting about the project Wednesday night at the Delta Township Public Library at 6 p.m.
The project is expected to take place in the spring and summer of 2021.
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