City Commission postpones decision on Mission redesign

The Mount Pleasant City Commission postponed a decision Monday on a Michigan Department of Transportation proposal to remove left-hand turns on Mission Street at intersections on Broomfield Street and Blue Grass Road.

The plan is designed to make Mission Street safer at both intersections and will establish indirect left-hand turns, also known as “Michigan Lefts,” from Blue Grass Road to the intersection of Mission Street and Appian Way.

The city’s Planning Commission, Downtown Development Authority, area businesses and residents have previously expressed concerns about the design.

“You have to have some option — otherwise, traffic will continue to build,” said Mount Pleasant Director of Community Services Rich Morrison.

Morrison and other city staff and groups are working on a “grid network” to alleviate traffic on Mission Street, he said. Concerns include pedestrian safety, vehicle traffic and a lack of entry to local businesses, such as those in the Stadium Mall, Morrison said.

Terry Palmer, the manager for the Bay Region of MDOT, said the design is meant to create a safer environment for drivers and pedestrians at the intersections. He said adding left-hand turns are successful in Michigan.

“Michigan built a lot of these,” he said. “They are all across the state.”

A dangerous place

According to MDOT, the Broomfield and Mission Street intersection has the most accidents in the Bay Region 13 county area. In the past ten years, 1,500 vehicle accidents and 25 pedestrian incidents were reported.

The Commission requested additional design elements for its next meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 at City Hall, 320 W. Broadway St.

The two-phase project would be carried out in 2011 and 2012, and will be funded mainly by a federal safety grant. Details of the project include removing the left-hand turns on Mission Street at the intersections of Blue Grass Road and Broomfield Street.

Phase one of the project will cost $2.5 million. MDOT will pay $230,000 of the cost and the city will pay $22,000. Phase two of the project will cost $1.9 million, $171,000 from MDOT and $16,500 from the city will be required.

Commissioner David McGuire believes the proposal has potential.

“If there’s room to tweak this plan, I don’t want to turn it down,” he said.

Commissioner Sharon Tilmann said she was against the plan.

“We have respected members of staff telling us not to go there,” she said.

Citizens who attended the meeting voiced their displeasure at the proposed design.

Mount Pleasant resident and former director of planning and community development Tony Kulick said he was worried the indirect left turns would lead to traffic problems for businesses.

“I’m just worried that this may not be the right answer for what we need in Mount Pleasant,” he said.