Everyone happy now?
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY -- For many traveling through southwest Michigan, business nearly creeps to a halt along U.S. 131 in the town of Constantine.
Friday, Governor Granholm and a group of lawmakers will announce plans to spend $31 million in state funds for infrastructure improvements on a 17 mile stretch of U.S. 131 from the Indiana border to north of Three Rivers, including a bypass around Constantine.
State Representative Rick Shaffer says he's more than pleased with the new announcement. "The beauty of today's decision is that it's back on the five year plan," Shaffer said.
Late last year MDOT placed a "no build" order on the very same project. MDOT, saying then, there wasn't enough traffic flow to warrant spending taxpayer dollars on improvements.
Shaffer says public outcry in favor of the project fueled the change. "Individuals wrote letters, organizations, elected officials, and their voices were heard today," he said.
Those voices apparently carry all the way to Wayland where General RV relocated, anticipating growth.
"The expansion of 131, the tourism, and the access for going from the southern part of Michigan, or the northern part of Indiana, to northern Michigan, is just going to make it that much more inviting for customers to travel, and the opportunity for customers to stop at our stores and drive in sales," said General RV sales manager Bruce TerVeen.
And we will get our mass transit study, too... although good luck getting anything through East Grand Rapids. They are going to pitch a fit if you talk about ripping up their roads and putting in tracks.
GRAND RAPIDS -- The same legislation that approved the US 131 expansion in southwest Michigan will also finance a study to look at whether or not Grand Rapids needs some mass transit lines.
One line would go between Ford International Airport and downtown Grand Rapids. The other would run along Division Avenue from downtown to Cutlerville.
$14 million in federal money will allow local leaders to study and design a rapid transit system.
"Transit is an important part of economic development. It's a part of job creation, and employers are asking for safe and effective transportation for employees to get to work and back," said State Representative Jerry Kooiman (R) of Grand Rapids.
The federal money also helps keep Amtrak running, specifically the Pere Marquette line from Chicago to Grand Rapids.
Good, good, good... all good.
See how easy that was? Kind of makes the legislature's last attempt to deny the Detroit area this same opportunity seem rather foolish now, doesn't it?
Yeah, I thought so.