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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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IF FLINT HAD APPLIED FOR THE SIGNAGE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE.
THE KETTERING GATEWAY WAS CALLED THE CHEVROLET AVENUE EXTENSION UNTIL THE MAYOR WILLIAMSON AND JOHN CARPENTER AGREED IT SHOULD BE CALLED KETTERING GATEWAY.
THE YELLOWING ROLLED UP PLANS WERE IN A CLOSET WHEN JOHN CARPENTER FOUND THEM AND DECIDED TO IMPLEMENT THEM.
THE PLANS MOVED TO THE TOP OF THE LIST WHEN THE STIMULUS MONEY BECAME AVAILABLE.
JOHN CARPENTER PERSONALLY GOT THE AAA EASEMENT AND AN EASEMENT FROM GRANT HAMADY TO MAKE THE PROJECT WORK.
JOHN GLEASON WORKED WITH THE STATE TO GET THE MONEY FOR THE LIGHTING FROM MDOT. HE ALSO WORKED ON OTHER PROJECTS. THE IDEA WAS TO CONTINUE THE STYLE OF LIGHTING, ETC.
THE BRIDGE WAS ABOUT TO BE SHUT DOWN BECAUSE IT WAS UNSAFE. UNDER MAYOR STANLEY, CITY ENGINEERS HAD BLOCKED OFF THE OUTSIDE LANES BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERNS. THE FUNDING HAD BEEN LOST ABOUT THREE TIMES WHEN THE WILLIAMSON ADMINISTRATION FUNDED AND REBUILT THE BRIDGE TO IMITATE THE HISTORIC NATURE OF THE ORIGINAL BRIDGE AND USED A PIECE OF THE ORIGINAL BRIDGE TO MAKE THE SIT DOWN STRIKE MEMORIAL.
THE AREA ON THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE MILLER ROAD-CHEVROLET AVENUE INTERSECTION WAS DONATED TO THE CITY BUT NEVER OFFICIALLY MADE A PARK. THAT MADE IT EASIER TO REDEVELOP BECAUSE IT NEVER HAD TO GO TO A VOTE OF THE PEOPLE.
THE STATE WAS PLEASED TO HAVE A FOUR WAY STOP AT THAT INTERSECTION.
THE ORIGINAL INTENT WAS NOT NECESSARILY FOR EASIER ACCESS TO KETTERING AND DOWNTOWN. KETTERING WAS BUILDING A BUSINESS INCUBATOR ON BLUFF AND IT WAS HOPED TO SPUR THE CONSTRUCTION OF MORE ENGINEERING BUSINESSES AND A POSIBLE INDUSTRIAL PARK AREA. EASIER ACCESS TO KETTERING WAS A NICE BYPRODUCT.
Lack of signs keeps drivers from $3 million Gateway to Kettering, downtown Flint
Published: Sunday, April 08, 2012, 7:50 AM
By Blake Thorne | bthorne1@mlive.com
Follow
FLINT, Michigan -- What seems like a simple fix is keeping a $3 million investment in Flint from its full potential.
After federal and city dollars paid for a recent road project to make it easier to access Kettering University, the area's expressway signs have not been updated to point motorists to the new entryway.
View full sizeRyan Garza | MLiveA sign near I-75 points drivers to Corunna Road to find Kettering University. Kettering's president says this is the wrong place.
It's a shortcoming that bothers Kettering's new president, Robert K. McMahan, who has been at the university's helm since August.
In an editorial board meeting with The Flint Journal last week, McMahan said he'd prefer to see signs direct visitors from all directions to get on I-69 and take the Hammerberg Road exit, leading them to approach Kettering from the south and use the new Gateway route.
There is no sign for Kettering at that exit.
But there are signs on I-75 pointing drivers to the Corunna Road exit.
As it stands now, many visitors to campus, especially first-time visitors, are taking multiple roads into the campus, McMahan said.
McMahan said he'd like to see drivers on I-75 and I-475 pointed to I-69, where they will then see a Hammerberg Road exit sign.
It's the last step toward getting the full benefit out of the new connection to the south side of the Kettering campus.
View full sizeRyan Garza/MLive.comThe Kettering Gateway.
"The city and the state paid a lot of money to put that gateway in," he said.
First-time visitors to campus often get lost, sometimes in dicey parts of town, McMahan said. That has led some families to tell university officials they will no longer be considering Kettering for their child, he said.
Flint Mayor Dayne Walling agrees with Kettering's concern.
"The purpose of the Gateway project is to provide easy access to the Kettering campus and to downtown," Walling said.
"But that being the major entry point will take time to establish because previously the route off of Hammerberg Road required multiple turns through the neighborhood to get to the campus, so people were used to using alternative routes."
The Kettering Gateway Project created a new route from the Hammerberg Road exit to Chevrolet Avenue through Miller Road. Previously, there was no road to Kettering from that direction.
The project was funded through federal stimulus money and an earmark secured by U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Flint. The project required the city match 20 percent of the federal stimulus dollars.
Officials at the time said the project created more than 100 jobs and eliminated the need for an awkward set of turns heading into the university.
The project was completed in late 2010.
Walling said the city is working on a proposal to the Michigan Department of Transportation asking the agency to update the expressway signs. Walling added he does not know how long it will take to get new signs approved. He said he'd like to see the work done yet this year.
MDOT officials said they would consider any proposal for sign changes once a request is submitted.
Such a request would need to come from the city, said Linda Burchell, manager of MDOT's Transportation Service Center in Davison.
"They haven't approached us yet," Burchell said. "Not that I'm aware of, and I think I'd be aware of it."
Burchell said she couldn't say how much such a request would cost or how long it would take without seeing a specific proposal.
"It depends on the extent of the work," she said.
In a related effort, the city recently received a $1 million MDOT grant to be used to add lighting, bike lanes and trees along the Kettering Gateway. Construction is expected over the summer.
McMahan said the route from the Hammerberg Road exit to Kettering is "potentially a very vibrant and prominent corridor."
"Part of the success of that is going to depend upon routing traffic there," he said.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:36 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:11 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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The project was funded through federal stimulus money and an earmark secured by U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Flint. The project required the city match 20 percent of the federal stimulus dollars.
COMMUNITIES WERE ASKED TO SUBMIT PLANS FOR SHOVEL READY PROJECTS ELIGIBLE FOR THE STIMULUS MONEY. FLINT SUBMITTED THIS PLAN FOR STIMULUS MONEY. |
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Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:19 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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From: REIMAGINING CHEVY IN THE HOLE
LAND BANK
Kearsley Business Park
Kearsley Business Park supports a range of uses, including light industrial,
research and development, and commercial or office space
near downtown. The business park contributes to Flint’s
assumed economic growth by diversifying Flint’s economy,
and offers larger building spaces totaling around 300,000
square feet. Tenants are attracted to the site by research
partnerships between Kettering University, University of
Michigan-Flint, and outside businesses, similar to other
university-affiliated research parks.This development
along the south side of the river further strengthens the
new Kearsley Boulevard corridor.
Kettering Connection – Kettering’s Cooperative Program, in
which students rotate between taking classes and working as
interns with partnering businesses, presents a unique way to
attract new businesses. Kearsley Business Park also offers more
opportunities for college students to stay and work in Flint, creating
a more sustainable workforce.
Interior Park - A shared park space is designed in the middle of
the buildings to provide spaces where workers can hold meetings,
eat lunch, or take a break. This space also serves as a pedestrian
corridor from Kettering and the park spaces to the east.
Institutional Controls – Through careful placement of surface
parking, buildings, and other impervious surfaces, the business
park provides further controls against residual contamination in
areas where contaminated soil has been condensed and capped.
New Residential Increased regional growth,
together with the site’s improved riverfront, park spaces
and mixed-use amenities, leads to the construction of new
housing. This housing becomes part of the revitalized
urban fabric extending from downtown to Kettering
University. It also fosters stronger residential connections
across the river, as people use the parks and access new
stores, work opportunities or downtown.
Flint’s Urban Riverfront Scenario Phase 2
Visteon Corporation’s campus in Dearborn, Michigan
is an |
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Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:27 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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...
[PDF]
REIMAGINING Chevy in the Hole
www.thelandbank.org/Landuseconf/Reimagining_Chevy_in_the_Hole.pdf - Similarto REIMAGINING Chevy in the Hole
Flint River. Genesee County, Michigan. Chevy in the hole. 4. Flint River The Flint River flows through downtown. Flint and ... Flint's main downtown district is along Saginaw Street, seven ..... extension connects the downtown area to Kettering ... |
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Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:31 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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"
The city and the state paid a lot of money to put that gateway in," he said.
First-time visitors to campus often get lost, sometimes in dicey parts of town, McMahan said. That has led some families to tell university officials they will no longer be considering Kettering for their child, he said.
THIS WAS A FEDERAL PROJECT AND ORIGINALLY DID NOT INCLUDE A 20% SHARED COST
THE NEW KETTERING PRESIDENT MCMAHAN NEEDS TO GARNER AL OF HIS FACTS AND NOT RELY ON WALLING1 |
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Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:44 am |
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Dave Starr
F L I N T O I D
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Typical.
If you were talking about all the spelling & grammatical errors, it's because they dropped all the copy editors some time ago.
I can say that now that our son's job at the Journal is now gone after 26 years. |
_________________
I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.
Pushing buttons sure can be fun.
When a lion wants to go somewhere, he doesn’t worry about how many hyenas are in the way.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos. |
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Mon Apr 09, 2012 10:18 am |
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