To meet grant requirements for this project, we need to complete an additional survey to confirm there is no impact on the area’s historical environment. While no impact is expected, any findings will be addressed in cooperation with MDOT and the State Historic Preservation Office. We now anticipate this project will start in late 2024 or early 2025 and be completed in 2025.
Two projects will help make it safer for children to walk to Winchell Elementary and Maple Street Magnet School for the Arts starting in late 2024 or early 2025.
In Winchell, a new sidewalk will be installed along Winchell Ave to help students get to and from Winchell Elementary School Safely. The sidewalk will be on the south side of the street between Oakland Dr and Rambling Rd.
For Maple Street Magnet School, the nearby crosswalk on Howard St will be moved to improve its visibility. Push button-activated flashing beacons will be installed near the intersection to alert drivers when pedestrians are waiting to cross, and new ramps will be built to connect to the crosswalk. We're also exploring focused lighting on the crosswalk area to further increase visibility.
Some trees will need to be trimmed or removed as part of these projects. The tree work may start earlier sooner than most of the construction. After the sidewalk is built, new trees will be planted in the fall and the stumps will be removed.
Safe Routes to School is focused on creating a safe walking and bicycling environment for children as they travel to school and was identified as a need during Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 and neighborhood planning. The City of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Public Schools, Michigan State University, and Michigan Fitness Foundation, worked together in 2019 to complete the Safe Routes to School planning process for Maple Middle School(PDF, 28MB) and Winchell Elementary School(PDF, 31MB). The planning process included surveys, walking audits, and community meetings, resulting in an action plan for each school which is used to apply for infrastructure and programmatic grants from the State.
This project was originally expected to be completed in 2024, but to met grant requirements it had to be delayed.