Department of Planning & Community Development
WHITE PAPER FOR COMPLETION OF THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF US-131
Issue:
US-131 is an integral part of the highway transportation system, owned and operated by the Michigan Department of Transportation, in Kalamazoo County, St. Joseph County and all of West Michigan. US-131 begins at the Indiana/Michigan state line and extends north approximately 270 miles to Petoskey. While most of US-131 is a limited access freeway, the southern portion is not. The increasing amount of traffic on US-131, particularly heavy truck traffic, continues to erode the quality of life for residents and creates a bottleneck for pass through traffic in the villages of Schoolcraft and Constantine. The grade crossing of US-131 by the Canadian National railroad in Schoolcraft has increased in rail traffic, which continues to be a disruption in traffic flow and safety, including vehicle backups often miles long. The efficiency and safety of US-131 is imperative to residents, visitors, and for businesses all around Michigan requiring "just-in-time" delivery of goods. In 1972, Governor Milliken proposed an upgrade of US-131 to a four-lane, limited-access freeway to Indiana border. Then as now, US-131 remains a four-lane highway from Schoolcraft to Three Rivers and a two-lane highway from Three Rivers to the Indiana border.
Request:
The completion of US-131 from Portage to the Indiana border as a four-lane, limited-access freeway.
Background:
The effort to complete US-131 from Portage to the Indiana border has endured a long legacy. Today, the issue has become multi-faceted:
- Business. Businesses and industries throughout West Michigan are negatively impacted by the present limitations of US-131 in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph Counties. While I-94 provides a continuous freeway for east-west traffic, US-131 in its current fragmented state prohibits efficient movement of goods and products into and out of Michigan, including the major metropolitan areas of Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Kalamazoo. Furthermore, a continuous connection to the I-80/I-90 is critical to the long-term sustainability of many companies in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph Counties.
- Tourism. In northern Michigan, traffic volumes on US-131, particularly heavy truck traffic, are significantly lower when compared to the southern end of US-131. While significant traffic counts must be documented before improvement of a transportation facility, tourism, and the important impact of tourism on Michigan's economy, heavily substantiated the improvement of US-131 to a limited-access freeway in northern Michigan. Nonetheless, the US-131 bottlenecks in southern Michigan continue to create considerable slow-downs and even back-ups to out-of-state visitors, especially at peak holiday travel times.
- Quality of Life. A constant stream of traffic, especially heavy trucks, on US-131 divides Schoolcraft residents by making pedestrian crossings treacherous. Truck vibrations affect the stability and condition of buildings in the National Historic District in downtown Constantine. A previously constructed US-131 by-pass of Three Rivers is being encroached by new commercial development, including several national retailers, thereby setting the stage for deterioration of its level of service. Based on traffic volume projections, these situations will not change, but only worsen.
- Fragmented Planning. From the beginning, the improvement of US-131 to a limited-access freeway has always been described as from Portage to the Indiana border. With the corridor study proposed by MDOT in 1997, consensus was not achieved in Kalamazoo County and the corridor study was not completed for this portion. Consensus in St. Joseph County led to a continuation of planning efforts. However, certain alternatives for the corridor in St. Joseph County have met with some opposition since the alternatives call for a design less than the desired four-lane, limited-access freeway. The alternatives may have been initiated due to the funding crisis at the state level and the inability to justify the improvement project without the higher traffic volumes on other portions of US-131. With the recent effort to gain sustained consensus by key partners in the region, only a complete and comprehensive approach (from Portage to the Indiana border) to the planning and improvement will result in the most efficient resolution to all aspects of the issue.
The following timeline provides an overview of events leading up to the current issue:
| 1961-1962 | MDOT builds stretch of US-131 from Schoolcraft to Portage as four-lane highway. |
| 1970 | Kalamazoo County Comprehensive Plan shows westerly bypass of Schoolcraft for the amount of $2.7 million. |
| 1972 | Governor Milliken proposes upgrade of US-131 to a four-lane, limited-access highway to Indiana border. |
| 1979 | Public meeting in Schoolcraft on possible US-131 bypass of the village draws small audience and no support. MDOT says study of the proposal would not begin until 1988. |
| 1988 | MDOT says re-routing of US-131 is at least 15 years away. $50,000 is allocated to study highway expansion from Schoolcraft to Indiana border. |
| 1995 | The US-131 Master Plan Committee is formed by St. Joseph County communities, however there is no involvement from Kalamazoo County. |
| 1996 | MDOT presents six possible corridors for US-131. |
| 1997 | MDOT unveils its corridor study and its preferred corridor. A public hearing is held on the corridor study. |
| 1998 | MDOT announces $1million for preliminary engineering study on US-131 from Schoolcraft to Indiana border. Later Schoolcraft is dropped because of lack of consensus. |
| 2002 | Schoolcraft Area US-131 Planning Committee forms to build consensus and broad-based support for a by-pass of Schoolcraft. One year later, the Committee and four nearby local units of government vote to support a by-pass of Schoolcraft. |
| 2004 | The St. Joseph County US-131 Master Plan Committee and the Schoolcraft Area US-131 Planning Committee join forces with a joint resolution and an effort to build consensus along the US-131 corridor in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph Counties. |
| 2005 | MDOT conducts public hearing on draft Environmental Impact Statement to aid in the selection of a preferred alternative for 17 miles of US-131 in St. Joseph County. |
| 2005 | Consensus is achieved along the US-131 corridor. The St. Joseph County US-131 Master Plan Committee and the Schoolcraft Area US-131 Planning Committee vow to sustain the consensus and work to make US-131 a state transportation priority. |
Key Supporting Partners:
U.S. Representative Fred Upton, 6th Congressional District
Senator Cameron Brown, 16th District
Senator Tom George, 20th District
Representative Rick Shaffer, 59th District
Representative Lorence Wenke, 63rd District
Brady Township, Kalamazoo County
Climax Village
Comstock Township, Kalamazoo County
Constantine Township, St. Joseph County
Constantine Village
Florence Township, St. Joseph County
Flowerfield Township, St. Joseph County
Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce
Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study Policy Committee
Kalamazoo City
Kalamazoo County
Kalamazoo County Road Commission
Lockport Township, St. Joseph County
Mottville Township, St. Joseph County
Park Township, St. Joseph County
Pavilion Township, Kalamazoo County
Prairie Ronde Township, Kalamazoo County
St. Joseph County
Schoolcraft Township, Kalamazoo County
Schoolcraft Village
Three Rivers City
Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce
Vicksburg Village
White Pigeon Township, St. Joseph County
White Pigeon Village
May 16, 2005
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