City Council Requests MDOT End Road Diet Study

MIDLAND, Mich. — The Midland City Council voted Monday night to send a letter to MDOT requesting that the state agency end the road diet study by the end of the year. If that cannot be done, the council is requesting that MDOT provide an update.

Councilman Steve Arnosky (Ward 3) proposed the idea during the New Business portion of the council’s regular meeting.

“I think, tonight, I would like, again, to propose that council tell MDOT that it has had sufficient time to collect whatever data it needs to determine if a permanent closure is a feasible solution here, or a feasible possibility, and request MDOT conclude the data collection process by year end,” Mr. Arnosky said.

Mr. Arnosky also described a litany of negative reactions from the public about the study over the past 18 months.

“We’ve been living with lane closure on Buttles St. for 18 months now. We’re coming up on two years since this council voted to support the concept presented by MDOT,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of citizens writing negative editorials in the Midland Daily News, we’ve had negative letters written to the City, to MDOT, members of council. We’ve listened to verbal objections during council meetings, and other meetings that are sponsored by the City on this topic. We even have a council member who is facing a recall over this road diet, and we’ve seen reports of increased accidents.”

The proposal initially received some blowback from Councilman Diane Brown Wilhelm (Ward 4). Ms. Brown Wilhelm noted that M-20 construction has just concluded and that perhaps the study needed more time to collect data post-construction.

“We’ve all received the feedback, we know what the comments are, but at the same time, I think dictating to MDOT — which I don’t think we have the right to do — I do think we have the right to request that when they have enough data to go ahead and stop it, it doesn’t have to go for another year,” Ms. Brown Wilhelm said.

Ms. Brown Wilhelm and Councilman Pam Hall (Ward 1) debated over the origin of the increase in car accidents.

“The accidents are continuing to happen, and at what point does an accident or any other injury or damage to property have to occur before we recognize that this wasn’t the best idea?” Ms. Hall said.

“But is somebody saying that the accidents are being caused by the road diet, or is it because we have people running lights in the opposite direction, on their cell phones? I’ve seen those reports too,” Ms. Brown Wilhelm asked.

“Those all existed before the road diet as well,” Ms. Hall replied. “All those components you just mentioned. So why is there a change now that there’s a road diet? It’s because of the road diet.”

Once Mayor Maureen Donker (Ward 2) voiced her approval of the idea, the entire council started to embrace the notion of asking MDOT to end the study as soon as possible in order to proceed with the road diet’s later stages.

“I think we, as council, have not said [to MDOT] can we please end this as soon as possible?” Ms. Donker said. “You said it was 3 years, we’re into it 18 months, is it possible to end it sooner, do you have enough data to say it’s done? But I don’t think we’re the ones who can dictate that to them, because, frankly, if they come back and say, well we don’t have enough data, I don’t think anyone wants to do this again.”

Ms. Donker expressed an interest in the idea of ending the study.

“We would really like them to wrap it up. I think if we said, ‘Is it possible to be done by the end of the year or, if not, can you come back and give us an update?'”

Ms. Donker took Mr. Arnosky’s idea and formed it into a formal motion for the council.

“I move that we ask our City Manager, on behalf of Council, to send a letter to MDOT, asking if they can wrap up this road diet as soon as possible, hopefully by the end of the year, and if that can’t be accomplished, they will come January and give us a report and update to explain all that,” Ms. Donker said.

The motion passed 5-0.

Michael Westendorf

Michael Westendorf is the chairman and executive editor of Chemical City Paper. As Executive Editor, he leads the City Paper’s news coverage and editorial team.