Muskegon commission backs MDOT redesign of Apple Avenue and supports city takeover after reconstruction

The Muskegon City Commission voted to back the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) 2026 reconstruction design for Apple Avenue and approved a separate resolution indicating the city wants ownership of the roadway after MDOT completes the work.

Supporters said the design — which narrows sections of the road, adds a separated two-direction multiuse path and makes ADA improvements — will improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and restore a more walkable corridor leading into downtown. Opponents and some residents raised concerns about traffic flow, enforcement and the long-term maintenance cost to the city if ownership is transferred.

Why it matters: Apple Avenue is a major artery into downtown Muskegon. The commission’s support helps lock in design features MDOT incorporated after public engagement and signals that the city wants control of future street design and pedestrian-safety investments rather than leaving those choices solely to a state agency.

The MDOT design retained a five-lane section at the eastern end near US-131, then a three-lane section through most of the corridor, and a two-lane segment west of Terrace under MDOT’s working plans. Under the resolution the commission approved, the city advocated a three-lane section to extend from Burton Street through Terrace to reduce emergency-response impacts and to limit excessive vehicle speeds. The city also agreed to the construction of a south-side two-direction multiuse path; the city’s initial funding commitment for non-MDOT items is about $3.8 million.

City funding breakdown and scope: Dan Vanderheide, Muskegon’s public works director, outlined the proposed city contributions: roughly $1,750,000 from the sewer fund, $480,000 from the water fund, $1,400,000 for the multiuse path and road-related improvements that the city asked MDOT to include, and a $150,000 statutorily required local share tied to MDOT projects. MDOT’s construction portion was estimated at about $12 million. Vanderheide said most city bills will fall in the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2026, with some costs in the prior fiscal year because MDOT’s construction season spans the city fiscal-year change.

Public comment and commission debate: The project drew sustained public interest. Proponents at the meeting included Aaron Bodbiomass and neighborhood groups who said narrower lanes and the separated path would create a safer, more walkable corridor and spur adjacent redevelopment. Opponents, including Darlene Dehuti, said the corridor still carries heavy commuter traffic and urged funds be spent on homelessness and urgent human services priorities instead of streetscape changes. A caller raised a technical point about bike lane orientation; the city and MDOT responded that a separated two-direction path on the south side keeps cyclists off the roadway so Michigan’s rule that bicyclists “must ride with traffic” would not apply.

Public safety and operations: Public Safety Director Tim Kozel and Vanderheide said the city and MDOT negotiated the transition point for lane reductions after commissioners and residents raised emergency-response and congestion concerns. The commission’s motion explicitly requested a three-lane section from Burton Street to Terrace Street to minimize impacts on emergency operations. Kozel also noted that some traffic-safety elements, including mid-block crossings and refuge islands, will require continued coordination with MDOT.

Costs versus control: Several commissioners noted the trade-off: MDOT ownership brings state maintenance and technical capacity and currently includes about $100,000 per year the city receives for maintaining MDOT-owned Apple; taking ownership removes that reimbursement and places long-term maintenance and eventual full reconstruction costs on the city. Commissioners varied on whether the public-safety and placemaking gains from local control outweigh the budgetary risks. Vanderheide said future reconstruction costs (decades ahead) could be in the $10–$11 million range in today’s dollars; the city would need to rely on its gas-tax-derived street funds and possible federal allocations.

Votes: The resolution supporting MDOT’s composite design and the city’s $3.8 million anticipated commitments passed by roll call (majority approved; one commissioner voted no). The separate resolution supporting city ownership of Apple Avenue after MDOT completes reconstruction also passed: 4 yes, 2 no.

What happens next: MDOT will proceed with final design work for the 2026 contract. The commission’s approvals direct staff to budget the city’s share across the next two fiscal years and to continue negotiations with MDOT on detailed elements such as the Burton–Terrace transition and pedestrian crossings. The city will also pursue connecting trails and future crossings with partner projects (for example, the proposed Laketon–Lakeshore connector was discussed as a related project).

Local context: Commissioners and staff stressed the decision followed more than two years of community engagement, and that MDOT revised earlier designs in response to neighborhood input. The commission also acknowledged the decision does not remove all risk: the state tax and funding environment, future maintenance needs and evolving traffic patterns could require additional city action or future spending.