PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich — It's no secret that the Plainfield Ave Improvement Project has been a hot topic recently with drivers and business owners up and down the corridor.
The frustration from businesses is something that I witnessed firsthand last week while reporting along Plainfield Ave. That morning I had two local business owners and one general manager approach me to vent their frustration about the installation of the new medians in this stretch of road.
Almost word for word, each person told me the same thing. They are seeing fewer people come into their business because the medians are preventing a direct and convenient way to access their parking lots, among other issues.
To try and address these criticisms and concerns a meeting was held on Thursday, October 9th where Plainfield Charter Township’s Corridor Improvement Authority (CIA) listed some of the priorities for the project and heard from concerned neighbors.
You can watch our coverage from that meeting here.
This week, in another attempt to reach concerned citizens, Plainfield Charter Township posted on their Facebook Page that they are updating the FAQ section of the Plainfield Ave Improvement Project website. Including why the areas for median installation were chosen. That answer can be seen below.
The median locations were determined by traffic crash data, which showed a higher rate of serious crashes in the areas where traffic-calming medians will be installed. The medians will also reduce turning conflicts at cross-streets.
The Township says the next step in the project is tree planting along Plainfield Ave and as of right now things are still on track to be completed by the end of November.
Other concerns addressed in the document include:
- Plow truck drivers are trained to operate medians
- The fire department says the medians will not affect response times
- The township also shared what feedback went into starting the project, and how it's tried to update the community on its progress
You can take a look at the full FAQ here.
Read more stories from the FOX 17 Morning News team
Do you have an idea for the Morning News team or maybe an idea for a guest segment or something for the gang to come out and try? Send them an email at mornings@fox17online.com or call 616-447-5252 and leave a message.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
