Apple Avenue Design Work Group October 2023 update

Apple Avenue Design Work Group Update
October 2023

Interested Apple Avenue stakeholders were invited to apply for an engagement opportunity for an Apple Avenue redesign. The Michigan Department of Transportation reconstruction of M-46 (Apple Avenue) from U.S. 31 to Downtown Muskegon sought a design work group in April 2023. The group was selected in June representing citizens, neighborhood associations, business owners and institutions with interest in the Apple Avenue corridor.

The work group met with MDOT and City of Muskegon Department of Public Works road engineers along with the city’s road consultant for an overview session the beginning of August. The group explored ways people use the road. The work group discussed the Apple Avenue design in relation to improved safety, decreased speeds, providing non-motorized options for pedestrians/bicyclists and improved the esthetics throughout what is eastern entry to the city.

After the first meeting, the road engineers and city planners drew up profiles looking at traffic configurations from two to four lanes and possible corridor amenities. Work group members were then surveyed on their preferences of the options. Consensus formed with various three-lane options that included bike lanes, sidewalks, on-street parking, bus stops, trees and plantings.

A second work group meeting with the road engineers was in early October. The work group discussed the pros and cons of three- and two-lane options for four separate segments of Apple from Muskegon Avenue to Roberts. The segment from Roberts to U.S. 31 was set aside as eventual reconstruction of the Apple/U.S.-31 bridge in Muskegon Township will determine the configuration of that high-traffic, commercial segment of the corridor. The work group members came to a consensus on two- and three-lane designs for the four sections of Apple Muskegon to Roberts.

The road engineers will use the month of October putting those ideas into a conceptual plan that will be shared with the group and eventually presented to the Muskegon City Commission, anticipated in November. A public open house to view the plans and discuss the specifics with city officials is anticipated before the end of the year. City of Muskegon and MDOT officials then need to negotiate the allocation of costs relating to a basic road vs. upgrades such as bike paths, sidewalks and streetscape elements.
Looking into 2024, MDOT will begin detailed work on final road design with at least two public update sessions, resulting in a final design and public open house in April 2025. The $25 million-plus project is slated to be put out for bids in August 2025 with construction beginning in the spring of 2026.

-- The City of Muskegon Community Engagement Team