Over the past year, livingLAB worked closely with the folks at MDOT’s Lansing and Grand Region office to develop a nonmotorized plan for the 13 counties in West Michigan that comprise the MDOT Grand Region. The Grand Region is home to an incredible network of significant shared use paths/trails (865 miles), bike lanes (86 miles), paved shoulders (1,025 miles), and shared lane markings (17.2 miles). We partnered with our friends at The Greenway Collaborative and Williams & Works as well as with a great Advisory Committee along the way.

The focus of the plan and associated GIS database is on regional facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians. Specifically, how a regional network of trails, paths and on-road facilities can provide connections between communities, counties and adjacent regions. For MDOT, the plan serves as a critical piece for context-sensitive planning and development as well as focusing resources. At the community level, it is hoped the plan provides tools, information and resources to assist in identifying and improving key corridors that serve both a local and regional need within the greater nonmotorized network as well as prioritizing work on efforts that can benefit the region as a whole. The Grand Region Road and Trail Bicycling Maps were also updated during the process with 60,000 new maps printed and being distributed. The Grand Region Nonmotorized Plan can be found here. The new Road and Trail Bicycling Maps can be viewed here.