OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Oshtemo Township is preparing for significant growth over the next decade with a comprehensive transportation study focused on a key development area.
The township received a $50,000 county grant to study road networks in the area north and south of West Main, east of 131, south of H Avenue and west of Drake Road.
This area is expected to see major development projects, including the planned Kalamazoo Youth Sports Complex hoping to open in 2027.
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"It's a type of transportation planning, where we know we have some very large undeveloped parcels there, that are looking about what they could become," said Anna Horner, Oshtemo Township Director of Public Works.
The proactive approach aims to address traffic concerns before development begins. Horner emphasized the importance of planning road networks as new projects come online.
"We want to be proactive, as to how we can plan road networks as those developments come in," Horner said.
The study comes as Oshtemo Township has experienced an increase in traffic crashes despite its population size.
READ MORE: Oshtemo Township develops road plan to combat disproportionate crash rates
Township officials hope strategic planning will help distribute traffic more effectively across the road network.
"So we're not just putting all the traffic into one intersection, and one small section of west main to try and navigate. Ultimately that makes the road become wider and wider. And we often hear from our residents, that they don't want another highway coming through Oshtemo," Horner said.
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