How you can give input in two-way Michigan Avenue project

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — You will be able to have a say in a plan to make Michigan Avenue into a two-way at a town hall Thursday night.

The city of Kalamazoo is holding its second event for the community to help design the plan for the road and give input into what the area needs. It will be at the Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition in the Crawlspace Comedy Theater. There are two different times to attend, one at 5 p.m. and the other at 6:30 p.m.

During the event participants will be given different design elements and asked to identify what they like and learn more about the project overall.

“We want to make sure that everything that’s being implemented from that master plan strategic vision is being shaped by the community,” Christina Anderson, the city planner and deputy director of community planning and economic development for the city, said.

This project has been years in the making since the state set the road as a one-way back in 1965. The redesign would change Michigan Avenue from West Main to Harrison Street into a two-way street. The city was able to take ownership of the road five years ago and wants to create a redesign that is best for the community.

“We’ll let folks know where we are right now, we’re going to divide everybody into groups,” Anderson said. “We need to start to prioritize how we want to use that space given what we know.”

The city has several other events where you can give feedback, including a “Walk & Roll” event on Oct. 18. At this event, you can walk on Michigan Avenue and share improvement ideas as you see them. You can find more information about that here .

The project is expected to be long and expensive. However, the city said throughout it all, they plan to keep lanes open so traffic can still flow. This construction will be funded in part by a $25 million grant from the federal government. That grant will also go towards projects to rebuild parts of West Main Street, South Street, Lovell Street, Stadium Drive and Douglas Avenue.

The city said the Michigan Avenue project will likely break ground in 2027.

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