Shape Your Community
The M-17 (Washtenaw Avenue) Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study will focus on the 3-mile stretch of Washtenaw Avenue between the Ann Arbor city limits at the US-23 interchange and Ypsilanti.
Washtenaw Avenue plays a significant role in Washtenaw County by providing regional connections to local institutions, the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and other community assets. A more connected and multimodal-focused corridor will help improve travel, safety, economic development, and community pride.
Project Timeline
The project timeline below lays out the major steps in the PEL process through the project’s 18-month lifespan. The project goal is to identify a locally acceptable alternative using the Federal Highway Administration’s PEL process. You can review completed work on this website.
Project Study Area
This PEL study is exploring the eastern half of Washtenaw Avenue from Carpenter Road to Summit Street. The study area includes the city of Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, and Pittsfield Township.
Project Purpose and Need Statement
The Purpose and Need Statement identifies the factors that have led to this study and provides goals to inform the development of recommendations. The Purpose and Need has also led to the development of evaluation criteria that will help refine the study alternatives.
The purpose of the Washtenaw Avenue PEL) study is to create a connected, multimodal corridor that promotes safe, comfortable and equitable access for all modes of travel while fostering the economic, institutional and environmental goals of the adjacent communities.
Evaluation Criteria
The first round of design alternatives for Washtenaw Avenue was developed based on the constraints of the roadway, previous planning efforts and community feedback gathered at the first public meeting on March 2, 2023. A data-driven evaluation process was used to refine the five illustrative alternatives and eliminate those alternatives and design features that did not meet the Purpose and Need. Each of the illustrative alternatives was subjected to the evaluation criteria. Those with the lowest scores were eliminated.
Illustrative Alternatives
Following the initial round of public engagement, five roadway design alternatives were developed to address the community’s desires for the future of Washtenaw Avenue. These five designs illustrate potential transportation improvements to the corridor while fitting within the constraints of the roadway. The five illustrative alternatives were presented to the community in July 2023 to gather feedback on community priorities to further refine the designs.
Click here to learn more about the Illustrative Alternatives.
Alternative A: Enhanced Version of Existing Design
Alternative B: Road Lane Reduction
Alternative C: Business Access Transit Lanes
Alternative D: "Reimagine Washtenaw"
Alternative E: Additional Transit Lanes
Practical Alternatives
Following the alternatives evaluation process, two of the five presented alternative designs were eliminated (Alternative B - Road Lane Reduction and Alternative E - Additional Transit Lanes). The remaining three designs were adjusted based on feedback from the community, results of traffic modeling, conversations with local stakeholders, and to better fit within the constraints of the corridor.
More detailed designs (Alternative A - Existing Enhanced, Alternative C - BAT Lane, and Alternative D - Reimagine Washtenaw) are shown below, along with their specific design features and how well each meets the goals of the project. It is important to note that all three alternatives share the same design for the segment between Hewitt Road and Oakwood Street.
Alternative A: Enhanced Existing (Carpenter Road to Hewitt Road)
Design Features
Retains current roadway layout
Contiguous sidewalks throughout
Midblock pedestrian crossings where feasible
Addition of street trees and landscaping
Upgraded transit stop infrastructure
Limited right-of-way (ROW) acquisition required
No bike lanes are provided
Design Features
Reduction to three travel lanes and dedicated transit lanes from Carpenter Road to Hewitt Road
Private vehicle access to the transit lane to allow right turns into businesses
Contiguous shared-use pathways on both sides of the street that are proposed to be shared by pedestrians and bicyclists
Enhanced transit stop infrastructure
Transit signal priority at key intersections
Requires significant ROW
Alternative C: Business Access Transit (BAT) Lanes (Carpenter Road to Hewitt Road)
Alternative D: Reimagine Washtenaw (Carpenter Road to Hewitt Road)
Alternatives A, C, & D (Hewitt Road to Oakwood Street)
Design Features
Retains four vehicle travel lanes
Addition of landscaped center median
On-street buffered bike lanes
Truck loon turnarounds, pavement that is constructed outside of the normal traffic lanes to allow for larger vehicles to safely make a U-turn
Sidewalk buffer landscaping and street trees
Enhanced transit stop infrastructure
Requires significant ROW
Design Features
Same design for all three alternatives
Reduction to three travel lanes
On-street buffered bike lanes
On-street parking to be added in the Mansfield business area, as appropriate
Sidewalk buffer landscaping and street trees
Contiguous sidewalks throughout
Minimal ROW needed
