The Michigan Department of Transportation has approved an application from Hillsdale for a Transportation Alternatives Program Grant to help fund the reduction of Broad Street in 2027.
The project has entered the design phase, according to Assistant City Manager Sam Fry.
MDOT will complete the project from Steamburg Road to Hillsdale City Hall in conjunction with a scheduled resurfacing. The lane reduction — commonly referred to as a “road diet” — has been discussed intermittently since at least 2013, with the intention of slowing traffic and improving pedestrian safety.
In addition to giving drivers more room to exit their vehicles when parking along Broad Street, the project will add bike lanes between designated parking spaces and travel lanes.
Opponents have argued the changes are driven by “big city thinkers” and could make Hillsdale resemble larger communities like Ann Arbor.
Andrew Gelzer, chairman of the Hillsdale Tax Increment Finance Authority, said the coordinated project through MDOT will save local taxpayers about $500,000.
The work is being financed through the $800,000 TAP Grant, which requires a $395,000 local match. TIFA will contribute $250,000 of that local share, and Hillsdale Renaissance has pledged $10,000. MDOT will cover the cost of repaving.
The road will be reduced from four travel lanes to two, plus a center-turn lane.
— Contact reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @cmurrayhdn.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Hillsdale secures grant for ‘road diet’ along Broad Street in 2027
Reporting by Corey J. Murray, Hillsdale Daily News / Hillsdale Daily News
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