GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — The Grand Valley Metropolitan Council (GVMC) shared their draft of the Metropolitan Transit Plan (MTP) for Kent and eastern Ottawa counties in a public meeting Thursday.
The GVMC is the Metropolitan Planning Organization tasked with creating the MTP for the counties.
The MTP focuses on investment into the transit systems in the two counties over the next 26 years, through 2050. The plan encompasses all of Kent County and a portion of Ottawa County including the townships of Allendale, Tallmadge, Georgetown and Jamestown.
The 20+ year plan is required in order to receive federal transportation funding. The plan needs to identify specific projects and stay within the limits of available funding over a set time period.
The MTP found that the identified needs and deficiencies for funding far outweighed the expected funding from federal, state and local sources.
The needs identified by the MTP include:
- Active transportation (i.e. biking)
- Air
- Freight
- Passenger Rail
- Transit
The deficiencies identified by the MTP include:
- Capacity and Reliability (congestion issues)
- Pavement and Bridge Condition
- Safety
The MTP estimates that $3.68 will be needed to address the needs and deficiencies throughout the life of the plan. It also lists expected funding for local programs to be $648 million in federal funding, plus a federally required local match in funding of 20% for a total of $777.6 million.
The total funding expected between now and 2050 is much lower than the $3.68 billion estimate, which prompts the MTP to categorize projects. A tier system was used to put these categories into a list of priorities.
- Tier 1 - Improving Safety by Reducing Fatal an Serious Injury Crashes | Improving Operations for All Modes
- Tier 2 - Maintaining the System in a State of Good Repair
- Tier 3 - Improving Active Transportation Options | Improving Transit
- Tier 4 - Exploring, Evaluating and Coordinating New Transportation Technology
The MTP also documents shortfalls in funding against needs for MDOT and The Rapid.
The GVMC has been receiving feedback from the public on the MTP since March and community members have helped identify their priorities for funding. Here is what the MTP lists as the public's priorities:
- Improve roadway pavement conditions
- Improve roadway and intersection safety
- Enhance transit (bus) service
- Improve/add sidewalks along major roads and transit routes
- Improve/add bicycle lanes and shared-use paths
- Reduce traffic congestion
- Invest in new transportation technology
There have been 1,109 responses to the public survey and 595 public comments on the plan as of April 11, 2024.
The MTP will stay in the public comment phase through the end of the month. Comments about the MTP can be submitted in person, online, over the phone at (616) 776-7603, by emailing Andrea Faber at andrea.faber@gvmc.org, or by mail to GVMC’s address at 678 Front Ave. NW, Suite 200, Grand Rapids, MI 49504.
The plan is expected to be submitted for approval to the Technical Committee on May 1, the Policy Committee on May 15 and the GVMC Board on June 6.
You can read more about the MTP and supporting documents here.
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