GRWalker

You can fix the highways without adding more lanes. Increasing 196 thru the Downtown area is a big waste of MDOT dollars. You can update the infrastructure while saving monies and time. Great urban centers do not revolve around highways or cars, they revolve around density. Density is not calculated by the amount of cars that sit in a parking ramp or surface lot for 6-12 hours. With the current energy crisis we are all in, we should be working on initiatives that encourage walkability. Health Hill is a major stakeholder and developer in the Michigan Street area. They have a responsibility to make sure that their developments have a low impact on the neighborhoods they are in.

There is no reason why 196 needs to be expanded. After looking over the proposed MDOT plans, can't you see the damage this highway has done to the connectivity of the city. All those blocks USED to connect. Hmmm... Was that semi-truck going too fast that fell off the ramp at the 196 & 131 interchange? Why do hundreds of people get off 196 at College and Fuller and think that they can still go 40-70 mph down Michigan, Fuller, Diamond, and College? Our city was built on grid system, which provides options. It would be a waste of money to increase the lanes on 196 or 131 near the core of GR. From Wood TV 8: "(UPDATE- Grand Rapids, October 1, 2005, 10:30 p.m.) A truck driver from Ohio is lucky to be alive after driving his semi truck off a bridge and onto the freeway ramp 100 feet below. The truck was traveling northbound on U.S. 131 around 5:30 p.m. Saturday when the driver lost control. The truck hit the guard rail on the ramp leading to westbound I-196 and flipped over. It landed on the ramp leading from eastbound I-196 to southbound U.S. 131, 100 feet below. The cab landed on it's wheels. The driver walked away with only minor injuries. He was not wearing his seatbelt. Michigan State Police closed the ramp for several hours." Not wearing a seatbelt??? Thankfully no one else was hurt.