"At Your Service" Newsletter - Dec. 2005 (information on initial three improvement alternatives)

Latest Updates

July 2007:  City engineers and traffic consultants DLZ are working on the initial steps in a long process that will result in widening Eastman where it intersects with Airport and Wackerly roads. This improvement plan follows the recommendation of citizens who participated in the fall of 2006 in the City-sponsored Eastman Avenue Design Series.

Survey work along Eastman from Wackerly Road to Commerce Drive has been completed, and preliminary designs are in the works.

As Eastman Avenue improvements continue, updates will be posted on this web page and the MGTV Cable Channel 5 message board.

Background Information

How It All Started:
During a series of Community Roundtables held in January 2005, Midland citizens consistently mentioned traffic in the city – specifically in the Midland Mall area – as the number one thing they would change about Midland if they could.

In response to this feedback, early in 2005 the City of Midland contracted with traffic and engineering consulting firm DLZ Michigan, Inc. to find possible solutions for improving traffic along one of Midland’s busiest corridors – Eastman Avenue from Wackerly Street to Commerce Drive. 

Beginning in March 2005, DLZ studied Eastman Avenue traffic patterns near the mall and found that specific problems exist that will only worsen in the future. DLZ developed three different options to consider when making decisions on how to improve traffic flow along this portion of Eastman Avenue. These three options are outlined in an "At Your Service" Newsletter sent to Midland residents in early December 2005.

DLZ's initial report of Eastman Avenue traffic issues and possible solutions was presented to Midland City Council at its December 12, 2005 meeting. During that meeting, Council approved a process for seeking public input on the recommended improvements, any one of which could serve as Midland's roadmap to the future regarding traffic flow on the north end of the city.

DLZ December 2005 Report on Eastman Avenue Traffic:
Click here - December 12, 2005 Report - for DLZ's initial report on three specific Eastman Avenue improvement proposals, plus possible solutions to traffic concerns on Joe Mann Boulevard and at the intersection of Jefferson Ave./Wackerly St.

The Dec. 12, 2005, Council meeting at which the DLZ report was delivered can be viewed in its entirety via streaming video on this website. Just look for the December 2005 Council meeting link.

Original Eastman Avenue Options:
Click on Original Three Proposed Solutions in Graphic Form to view the options in a simplified graphic form.

Roadmap Response Forms:
Following the release of DLZ's December 2005 report, Council sought the input of Midland residents on what they thought could be the best improvement option for Eastman Avenue and other heavily-trafficked areas of the city.  The City provided several avenues through which citizens could voice their views on the issue, the most effective being a Roadmap Response Survey filled out by more than 700 people during the winter of 2006. To view the findings from that survey, click here: Roadmap Response Form Results

Eastman Avenue Design Series:
Because of the multitude of ideas expressed by citizens through the Roadmap Response Forms, the City and traffic consultants DLZ went back to the drawing board to further analyze the Eastman Avenue traffic issue.

The result of that research was discussed in a September 6, 2006 report to City Council. Through the report, DLZ introduced a process for seeking additional public input:  the Eastman Avenue Design Series. Click at left to find out more about the Design Series.