The Comstock Township Board voted to support an early-stage MDOT proposal for pedestrian and bicycle improvements along Gull Road.
An MDOT operations engineer overseeing traffic operations, safety, and maintenance for Kalamazoo and Cass counties presented the department’s early-stage plans for the corridor, which the engineer described as a busy retail area with existing safety and traffic-flow problems.
Part of the plan involves improvements aimed at vehicle traffic: expanding intersection capacity at Sprinkle Road and Gull Road, realigning the approach at Gull Run Drive and Meijer Drive where left turns currently don’t function well, and studying a possible traffic signal at 26th Street and Gull Road because of ongoing delays and safety concerns. MDOT said none of those projects have funding or a timeline yet, and the department is still pursuing money for them. Because they fall within MDOT’s own right-of-way, the department said it would build and maintain them without needing a funding commitment from the township.
Separately, MDOT proposed two projects focused on pedestrians and cyclists: a sidewalk on the south side of Gull Road between Sprinkle Road and 26th Street and a non-motorized pathway on the south side of Gull Road between Sprinkle Road and Sunnyside Drive, separating bicycle and pedestrian traffic from vehicles. MDOT cited seven bicycle-related crashes on that stretch over the past five years, including one severe-injury crash, on a five-lane roadway with a 50-mph speed limit.
MDOT said it would build and initially fund the sidewalk and pathway through state and federal money at no upfront cost to the township, but ongoing maintenance would become the township’s responsibility once either is built. The department asked the board to show support for that future maintenance commitment before it formally applies for funding.
The board voted to support MDOT’s proposal for the non-motorized improvements on Gull Road, including the township’s future maintenance responsibility. Officials were clear the vote isn’t a binding legal commitment as a formal contract would come later if and when funding is secured and the project moves forward.
