Traverse City Record-Eagle

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    DIVISION STREET

  • Record-Eagle

    DIVISION STREET
January 11, 2010

City turns focus back to Division Street

By SHERI McWHIRTER

TRAVERSE CITY -- The dilemma that is Division Street is back on the city commission's front burner.

Commissioners on Tuesday will discuss how best to improve the state highway that borders several city neighborhoods, including Slabtown, Kids Creek and Central. It's a busy, fast-moving stretch that divides the town, degrades adjacent neighborhoods and compromises safety, Mayor Chris Bzdok said.

"The street needs to be transformed from a burden on our city to an asset for our city," he said.

Division Street handles between 21,000 and 24,000 vehicles each day, ranking it among the busiest streets in Traverse City, according to state transportation records.

City officials last year decided to put off a planned state resurfacing project that would have maintained the street design as is for at least another decade. Meanwhile, officials are working on plans to overhaul the highway, or at least rejuvenate the state's planned maintenance project in 2011.

A newly designed, possibly widened and rebuilt street could cost between $10 and $13 million, according to estimates.

The goal is to create a "more inviting entrance" into Traverse City from the south, city Manager R. Ben Bifoss said.

"Right now it's just four lanes of asphalt," he said. "It's impossible to cross and acts as a divider in the community. It's too loud, too fast."

City officials hope a new street design would reduce cut-through traffic in adjacent neighborhoods, Bifoss said, and create more pedestrian crossings, bike lanes and traffic turn lanes.

"The people I talk to certainly wouldn't mind a few more safe pedestrian crossings," said Bill Fernandez, Kids Creek neighborhood president.

Not everyone believes a Division Street overhaul is needed to achieve safer and slower conditions, he said.

"I'm really wondering why not just change the character of the street by slowing traffic and enforcing that? I'm not really certain why the nature has to be changed that much," Fernandez said.

Some worry that slowing traffic on Division Street will encourage more motorists to cut through city side streets and exacerbate a growing problem in the neighborhoods.

"I think it's a valid concern. It needs to be addressed and satisfactorily resolved and I believe it can be," Bzdok said.

Bzdok wants to create a steering group to help the city address Division Street that includes representatives from adjacent neighborhoods.

A potential street-widening might require using parkland property from the Grand Traverse Commons, something city voters must first approve. City commissioners would have to decide to place the question on the Aug. 3 ballot no later than May 25, Bifoss said.

Commissioners will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Governmental Center, 400 Boardman Ave., in Traverse City.

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