Streets for All

The City of Kalamazoo is calling on residents to participate in shaping the future of Michigan Avenue by attending a series of meetings this fall. The first is a Community Open House set for Thursday, Sept. 12.

The Kalamazoo Streets For All Community Open House is scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Epic Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall. This meeting will include an overview of Streets For All projects in Downtown Kalamazoo and will be the first of several meetings to collect input on the two-way street redesign of Michigan Avenue stretching from Michikal Street/West Main Street to Harrison Street.  

Additional meetings on the two-way street redesign of Michigan Avenue will be held each month this fall with the goal of moving from this initial input phase to design work this winter.

“We are eager to hear from the people who live, work, shop and dine along this essential corridor,” said Christina Anderson, City Planner and Deputy Director of Community Planning and Economic Development. “This is an opportunity for the community to share their vision, ensuring this section of Michigan Avenue becomes a space that is accessible and welcoming for everyone for generations to come.”

In addition to gaining feedback on Michigan Avenue’s redesign, the session will offer information on other upcoming Streets For All projects, including work on Kalamazoo Avenue, Douglas Avenue and West Main Street planned to start next year.  

“As we work to redesign our city streets, it’s crucial to open a dialogue that includes all voices — motorists, cyclists, riders of public transportation and pedestrians alike,” Anderson added. “We want to hear your ideas for creating a barrier-free, easy and equal access space. Your input is vital for our shared future.”

In addition to public-facing events like the open house, stakeholder meetings are being held with business owners, delivery drivers, landowners and other downtown stakeholders to gather additional information based on their unique interests.  

These projects, backed by a $25 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation(PNG, 149KB), are part of a larger effort to rebuild significant portions of West Main, South Street, Lovell Street, Stadium Drive and Douglas Avenue. This funding supplements the $12 million federal grant received two years ago for the reconstruction of Kalamazoo Avenue and Michigan Avenue.

The City of Kalamazoo is engaged in utility upgrades to replace aging infrastructure and address Arcadia Creek. The City’s initiatives aim to create a downtown where residents and visitors can enjoy shops, restaurants and events, and where pedestrians, motorists and bicyclists can navigate streets safely and comfortably.

The planned restructuring of some Kalamazoo thoroughfares is receiving a major fiscal boost from the federal government.  The City of Kalamazoo received a $25 million RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) Grant Award, the U.S. Department of Transportation has announced.  It is the largest of three announced RAISE grants in Michigan to be awarded by the Department of Transportation. 

The award will fund the rebuilding of five segments of Kalamazoo streets as part of the Streets For All initiative.  Streets For All is an effort to create a connected City of Kalamazoo and have streets that meet the needs of the community, provide safe transportation for everyone, and foster a more vibrant, welcoming, and inclusive Downtown.  Over the course of several years, several downtown streets will be reconstructed to convert them to two-way traffic, modernize underground utilities, and incorporate safer and more people-focused street-level designs.   

The street segments being rebuilt and funded from the RAISE Grant Award specifically include West Main from Douglas Avenue to Michigan Avenue, South Street from Stadium Drive to South Pitcher Street, Lovell Street from Stadium Drive to Portage Street, Stadium Drive from Lovell to Michigan, and Douglas from Kalamazoo Avenue to West Main.  Construction on the street segments is expected to begin in August 2027. 

Proposed Project Details 

West Main from Douglas to Michigan: West Main will be two-way with two lanes in each direction.  The existing curb will be maintained, and intersections updated.  The pavement will be milled and resurfaced.  Left turn lanes will be added.  The storm sewer will be replaced, and the pedestrian crossing distance will be minimalized through refuge islands. 

South from Stadium to South Pitcher: South Street will have one lane in each direction, with on-street parking in segments.  Existing curb lines will be maintained except for bump-outs at intersections and Metro bus stops.  The street will be restriped for two-way traffic, and pavement will be milled and resurfaced.  Left turn lanes will be incorporated at intersections, and signals updated to accommodate two-way traffic.  A new storm sewer will be installed, and Metro bus stops upgraded. 

Lovell from Stadium to Portage: Lovell Street will be converted from one-way to two-way.  The street will have two configurations: the first portion has one lane in each direction and on-street parking; the second section has one lane in each direction, four-foot buffers on each side, and dedicated directional bike lanes along the curb.  The street will be milled and resurfaced, left turn lanes added, signals relocated or redesigned to accommodate two-way traffic and pedestrian movements, and the railroad crossings modified.  The storm sewer will be replaced, and existing lighting will remain. 

Stadium from Division to Lovell to Michigan: There will be a modified roundabout (multiple intersections) with a metering light for traffic flow.  Two lanes will exist to the north of the roundabout, with a grassy center median.  Academy Street will be a right-in, right-out intersection.  A pedestrian crossing will be installed mid-block with a HAWK (high-intensity activated crosswalk beacon) signal.  All surfaces will be milled and resurfaced.  The storm sewer will be replaced to meet current 100-year flood capacity.  LED high-efficiency lighting will replace existing fixtures, and a shared-use bike/pedestrian facility will be installed. 

Douglas from Kalamazoo to West Main: When complete, Douglas will exist with one lane in each direction and a center left turn lane.  There will be no on-street parking.  The existing pavement will be milled and resurfaced.  The Metro bus line will be included in the upgrades.  A new sidewalk will be installed.  The storm sewer will be replaced, as well as signals at the new intersections, incorporating pedestrian crossings with push buttons and signal coordination.  Lighting will be relocated and replaced, and signs and signals will be developed for two-way traffic. 

The conversion into two-way traffic for major thoroughfares in downtown Kalamazoo as part of the Streets For All initiative will start on Monday, June 10, with work on Michikal Avenue. It’s the first in a series of two-way conversion projects that will occur in the coming years to transform the street network in and around Downtown. Future two-way street conversion projects include Kalamazoo Avenue, Douglas Avenue, West Main, and Michigan Avenue.

Michikal will undergo a partial width reconstruction this year with work focused on the northern lanes of the street. A new non-motorized path will also be added to the north side of the street, and the sections of Eleanor, Elm, and Allen that run parallel to Michikal will be removed and replaced with direct connections to Michikal. It will be fully closed during construction, with completion anticipated by November 1. Traffic will be rerouted via Kalamazoo Avenue, Douglas Avenue, and W. Main Street.

With the recent award of a $38 million Federal PROTECT Grant to address flooding along nearby sections of Arcadia Creek, the second half of the Michikal project will be completed in coordination with that work (this will prevent having to tear up the newly constructed road right away). While planning is still underway for the Arcadia Creek project, a firm timeline has not been established.

Michikal is happening in phases and will become a two-way street, but it will initially reopen as a one-way. Other connecting Streets For All projects must be completed to create a safe two-way network before the transition can be made (W. Main St., Douglas Ave., Kalamazoo Ave.).

About Streets For All

For many years, Kalamazoo’s neighborhoods, the nearby campuses of Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and Kalamazoo College, and Downtown have been divided by wide, high-traffic one-way streets. This makes it difficult for pedestrians, drivers, and bicyclists to navigate downtown Kalamazoo safely, comfortably, and enjoyably.

Streets For All is an effort to create a connected City of Kalamazoo and have streets that meet the needs of the community, provide safe transportation for everyone, and foster a more vibrant, welcoming, and inclusive Downtown. Over the course of several years, several downtown streets will be reconstructed to convert them to two-way traffic, modernize underground utilities, and incorporate safer and more people-focused designs. The Streets For All projects construction timeline includes Michikal (2024), W. Main St & Douglas Ave. (2025), Kalamazoo Ave. (2025-2026), Michigan Ave. (2026-2029), Lovell St. (TBD), and South St (TBD).

On August 8, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton announced a grant of $5,974,694 for the Downtown Kalamazoo Transportation Network.

“It’s no secret, Michigan’s roads and bridges need serious work,” Upton said. “Last year I voted for one of the largest investments in our nation’s infrastructure and its benefits will be seen shortly in Southwest Michigan. I’m thrilled that this nearly $6 million grant will completely reimagine Kalamazoo Avenue, redesigning the downtown transportation network, and making the area more accessible.”

The planning grant will go to redesign transportation in downtown Kalamazoo, including converting Kalamazoo Ave. from a one-way street to a two-way street and making the area more walkable. Upton informed Kalamazoo Mayor Dave Anderson of the grant earlier this evening. “I am very grateful to Congressman Upton for making sure the funding for our infrastructure was there,” Anderson said. “I also want to commend the excellent Kalamazoo city staff that helped put this successful application together.”

The funding for the project comes from the RAISE grant program to help fix and modernize infrastructure. Funding for the program was contained in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Upton voted for in late 2021.