Reposted from Argus-Press.com

OWOSSO — The city council this week passed a resolution to support a “complete streets” initiative that promotes safe and efficient movement for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians while planning and designing roadway construction.

The resolution states, when feasible, the city will “incorporate the complete street design considerations as a routine part of infrastructure planning and implementation.”

The inclusion of infrastructure like bike lanes and additional easier-to-use crosswalks offers health benefits for the population and makes Owosso a more livable community, the resolution states.

The resolution also requires the Michigan Department of Transportation to consult with city officials when undergoing projects on state highways within the city limits. MDOT is not currently required to seek city input when doing work on state highways such as M-21 and M-52.

Council members expressed concern with MDOT and the lack of communication they had when work was done in the past.

City Manager Don Crawford said the city received notice from MDOT that the organization is requesting  engineers to design M-21 west of M-52 and M-52 north of Main Street. He expects MDOT to award the design sometime in the near future.

How much consulting and how much consideration MDOT will give to local input was questioned by some council members.

Download Owosso’s Complete Streets Resolution