KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Oshtemo Township officials are in the early stages of a proposed road project that could help reduce congestion at one of the area’s busiest intersections, 9th Street and Stadium Drive.
The intersection is home to several businesses, including Harding’s Market and the Township Community Center, and sees steady traffic throughout the day. It's also near the site where a crash claimed the lives of two teenagers just months ago.
“This is really about circulation, through what we call is our DDA, of Oshtemo, it’s our little village area at the corner of Stadium and Ninth Street,” Oshtemo Township Department of Public Works Director Anna Horner said.
The new effort would add a road in hopes of dispersing traffic and making the area safer for drivers and pedestrians.
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Horner described the project as being in its infancy.
“If construction plans are 100%, we’re at the 20% mark. We have quite a ways to go, and we’re still trying to put the pieces together at this level,” Horner said.
The new road would extend through a parcel where a building has been demolished, weave through a wooded area, and connect back to the main road.
“We really hope that this project creates more connections to the existing roads, to disperse traffic, and not have some huge concentrations at main intersections. Then pedestrians would feel safer crossing and accessing the different sides of Stadium and 9th Street,” Horner explained.
The road, Horner explained, is pretty short.
“You could see the other end from one side of it. It’s amazing how a smaller segment of a road can have such a big impact,” she said.
Designs for the project are still being finalized.
“I would really hope that by the end of 2026, we would have a more solid design,” Horner said.
Township officials emphasize that all current renderings are conceptual and subject to change. The proposed plan is aimed at offering another route for drivers to access Stadium Drive, with the goal of easing congestion at intersections like 9th and Stadium.
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