Executive Summary (MSU, June 2005, Urban and Regional Planning)
The Hagadorn Road Corridor located between Haslett Road and East Grand River Avenue, in East Lansing, Michigan is comprised of six predominately residential neighborhoods. The corridor lacks the pedestrian friendliness, sense of place, and traffic control measures that could improve the quality of life for those living along the route. Motorists traversing through the corridor pass by schools, daycare centers, and a multitude of residential housing types. The nature of the current roadway design has presented the City of East Lansing with a challenge: How does a city address the unique needs of predominately residential neighborhoods while at the same time preserving the current carrying capacity of the road?
This corridor study was assembled to identify, inventory, and assess current land use, pedestrian friendliness, traffic flow, and roadway design to make recommendations for future development in terms of pedestrian safety, zoning, and capital improvements. Upon completion of the Hagadorn Road Corridor Study, the research, methods, findings and recommendations presented will provide a model to address additional corridors throughout the city.
This corridor planning report focuses on a portion of North Hagadorn Road between Haslett Road and East Grand River Avenue. An analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (S.W.O.T) highlight the following:
Strengths
Proximity to Michigan State University
Proximity to elementary and middle schools
Proximity to neighborhood amenities such as Patriarch Park and the River Trail
Weaknesses
Lack of residential/commercial mixed-use
Lack of pedestrian amenities such as crosswalks, sidewalk buffers and lighting
Lack of vacant parcels limits opportunity for mixed-use
Lack of design cohesion between neighborhood blocks
Opportunities
Connection to downtown commercial
Connection to Grand River Avenue and Saginaw Highway
Width of the road provides for the ability to conduct a 4 to 3 lane conversion and to include bike lanes
Threats
Traffic volume and speed
Seasonable walkability (timely removal of snow and ice)
Difficulty making left turns, current land use, and transportation challenges.
While taking inventory of the current land use each parcel was identified for its current location, zoning classification and overall property condition. It was found that the Hagadorn Road Corridor is fully developed with 80% of the current land use being residential. All properties were evaluated by rating the exterior of any structures located on the parcel, the doors and windows, the roof, and the yard. The marks received in each category were then summed to give the property an overall condition rating.
During assessment of traffic and accident data, a comparative analysis was completed, alternative modes of transport were researched, and time was spent evaluating the sidewalks within the corridor, and examining the school zones. It was found that converting the study area from a four-lane to a three-lane road would have the effects of reducing the perceived driving speed, provide safer crossings for pedestrians, allow for the addition of bike lanes and improve neighborhood aesthetics. In essence, the conversion of the four-lane road to a three-lane road will improve the overall quality of the corridor.
As a primary concern of the City’s, the recommendations of this report are concentrated on making the corridor more pedestrian friendly. As such, the following summary of recommendations have been made to the City of East Lansing:
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Road and traffic management:Lane conversion: 4 to 3
One northbound, one southbound
and a two-way left turn lane (TWLTL). Purpose: To reduce perceived driving speed of drivers; Provide safer crossings for pedestrians; Allow for addition of
bike lanes; Improve neighborhood aesthetics.
Addition of bike lanes:
Provide alternative mode of transportation to and from MSU campus and other East Lansing destinations.
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Facilities improvements:Power lines:
Seek feasibility of improving
neighborhood aesthetics throughout the corridor by burying or limiting the current number of
electrical poles along the route.
Light fixtures:
Addition of pedestrian oriented
lighting fixtures to improve safety and visibility. Would also provide a unified appearance to the 6 neighborhoods intersected by the corridor.
Signage improvements:
Increase visibility of numerous neighborhood associations intersected by the corridor.
Increase visibility of neighborhood parks located in the corridor.
School Zone: Use consistent signage for approaching school zone to alert drivers of reduced speed.
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Sidewalk improvements:Benches
Pedestrian crossings
Ensure ADA compliance of cross walks and sidewalks
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Land-use:Maintain mixed-income and mixed-density characteristics of the corridor:
Ensure affordable housing for
students and low-income residents.
Future development, if any, should take into consideration the existence of the Marble and McDonald Schools located along this route. Additional development should not be heavily auto dependent and therefore increase the traffic usage of the road.
These recommendations, if implemented, may assist in increasing safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists while reducing speeds through school zones without causing excessive traffic congestion. The addition of bike lanes will provide an alternative mode of transportation while providing a buffer between pedestrians using the sidewalk and automobiles in the roadway.