Michigan
Jackson County officials reject Michigan Avenue lane reduction proposal
BLACKMAN TWP., MI – Elected officials unanimously oppose state plans to reduce the size of Michigan Avenue through Blackman Township.
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution opposing a “road diet” proposed for East Michigan Avenue during its regular board meeting Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The Michigan Department of Transportation has been busy drafting plans to rebuild E. Michigan Avenue from Page Avenue eastward.
The current plan would remove 5 feet of drivable roadway, reducing it from four lanes to two lanes with a single shared center turn lane.
The commission believes this would likely slow down traffic in the area, make it harder to enter and exit E. Michigan Avenue and would make it harder for emergency vehicles to navigate the roadway, leading to longer response times.
“Our township board passed a similar resolution unanimously in opposition to it,” Blackman Township Clerk David Elwell said. “We’re not big fans of road diets as you can guess.”
A representative with the Michigan Department of Transportation was not immediately available for comment.
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