Council Will Consider Hagadorn ‘Road Diet’ Project

The East Lansing Transportation Commission unanimously approved recommending City Council approve a “road diet” for Hagadorn Road. The plan, approved at the Jan. 8 Transportation meeting, is on the business agenda of the Tuesday (Jan. 23) Council meeting. 

According to City Engineer Administrator Stephen Clayton, the road diet project on Hagadorn was introduced as an aspect of the city’s non-motorized transportation plan and is also part of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) state transportation improvement program (STIP). A road diet converts a four-lane road into two lanes with a center turn lane.

“Because Hagadorn Road was part of that STIP, it felt like the time to also add on these pedestrian improvements as well as the lane reconfiguration at the same time,” Clayton said.

The Transportation Commission tried to clarify the road diet plan.

Numerous residents appeared at the Dec. 4 Transportation Commission meeting to express their support or opposition for the proposed plan for the section of Hagadorn Road from Burcham Drive to Grand River Avenue.

Following the December meeting, where multiple community members spoke and a representative from ROWE Professional Services Company presented the results of the road diet study, residents still had questions.

The commission attempted to clarify these questions and concerns during the Jan. 9 meeting, providing multiple resources in their agenda packet. This included a  road diets fact sheet, which discussed how to create a road diet and provided examples of successful road diets in other communities; a road diet myth buster, which clarified some of the concerns about road diets; and a road diet informational guide from the Federal Highway Administration.

Included in the agenda packet was also an email where ROWE senior project engineer Hailey Savola responded to questions from Clayton, brought up by community members at the December Transportation meeting. One of the questions many residents asked was,  “How were the study limits determined?” Many expressed concerns regarding turning movement from side streets and fear that the study was not comprehensive. That section of Hagadorn has many side streets on the east and west side of the road into the neighborhoods.

Savola’s written response said: “Counts were taken at the beginning and end of the project limits as well as the two ‘midpoint’ side street locations to make sure the volumes captured and studied were inclusive of the entire project limits. Counts were taken on a normal weekday to encompass normal traffic volumes (per MDOT and this study we utilized Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday traffic volumes).” 

Residents also expressed concerns on whether the road diet will affect what is one of the busiest intersections in East Lansing. Many were apprehensive of this conversion due to the traffic drivers have been experiencing during the current Consumers Energy construction project. 

“Roadway configuration at Grand River will remain as existing conditions and not be impacted by the road diet conversion,” Savola wrote. “The tapers for the left turn lanes are at the same location as they are now so the construction impact from past projects should not be the result on this project.” 

With these clarifications, input from community members and multiple distinct sources about the pros and cons of road diets in mind, the commission voted to approve and recommend the city move forward with the Hagadorn Road project. 

“Each of the commissioners were able to talk through some of the reasonings for their support and a lot of them expressed that they were aware of the concern from residents and I think that helped them come to that point of decision,” Clayton said.

Opponents pointed to the rejection in 2007 of a similar plan.

Many residents who expressed opposition pointed out the same two-lane reconfiguration was proposed and rejected in 2007. 

Resident Jeffrey Pillon expressed the opposition he held in 2007 to this reconfiguration as well as the opposition he holds now in his letter to the commission prior to the Jan. 9 meeting. 

“While some streets that have lower traffic volumes, and may have less impact, the high traffic on Hagadorn exacerbates the problems,” Pillon wrote. “This is the last four lane north-south access road in the city. During times of high traffic volume there will be a continuous unbroken line of vehicles. As such the number of cars that can go through the traffic light at the intersection of Burcham could be reduced by as much as 50 percent and cause further backup and delays.”

Shanna Draheim, a resident of the Brookfield neighborhood on the east side of Hagadorn near the Grand River intersection, expressed her gratitude for the road diet being approved by the commission.

“I support the road diet for two major reasons,” Draheim said. “One is just for climate reasons. We have a very important and ambitious climate plan that the governor has set and the city has its own climate action plan set. Transportation emissions are a huge part of our emissions and I just feel that we can no longer be making road improvements or road changes without incorporating elements that are going to reduce vehicle demand and really create opportunities for people to choose alternatives to cars.

“The other reason for me, particularly in the Brookfield neighborhood, is just safety,” she said. “Hagadorn Road is unsafe right now. We literally have a half-a-mile stretch where a pedestrian cannot cross.

“We have to be making decisions that are good for the city as a whole.”

Correction: The Transportation Commission meeting was held Monday, Jan. 8. This story has been corrected.