In December 2016, the Michigan Department of Transportation released a study, prepared by DLZ Michigan, Inc., that examined current conditions along the US-10 Business Route in Midland, and became the blueprint for the current Buttles Street road diet test.

The study examined various alternatives for the entire Business Route, but several study objectives in particular apply to the Buttles road diet in particular. “Increase connectivity to Downtown Midland and Discovery Square”, and “Improve non-motorized mobility and eliminate barriers for bicyclists/pedestrians with minimal impacts to traffic flow” both relate to the current project.

Ultimately, the study recommended that MDOT move forward with one of a number of proposed alternatives. Alternative 1 became the preferred option after some modifications due to public and stakeholder input. This “would provide non-motorized facilities on Indian Street and Buttles Street. Currently along Indian and Buttles Streets, there is approximately 22-26 feet of width available to implement the non-motorized options. This width includes the existing outside travel lane to the existing right-of-way line, allowing sufficient room for bike lanes, non-motorized paths, sidewalks, and/or green/buffer strips.”

The entire study can be found here. (Note, this document is rather large, and may take a few moments to load or download)