Ann Arbor transit agency to move Blake Transit Center boarding to 5th and Washington during 4th Avenue reconstruction

Gretchen Johnson, senior project manager at The Ride, told the Ann Arbor Commission on Disability that the agency will “be completely closing BTC and 4th Avenue to the public and bus operations” and will move boarding and alighting to blocks of Fifth and Washington starting May 3.

The change is prompted by a coordinated construction schedule: the Downtown Development Authority and city-led reconstruction of 4th Avenue between William and Liberty, plus underground utility work tied to the 350 South 5th housing tower. Johnson said the 4th Avenue project is expected to run from May through at least November and that the housing project may extend construction through 2028.

The move will not treat the change as a detour in the agency’s scheduling tools, Johnson said; schedules and rider tools will reflect the temporary boarding locations. She added that BTC will be closed to the public while remaining accessible to employees.

Jeff Piper, manager of public affairs and community engagement for The Ride, described the agency’s communications and on-site support plan. He said the agency has started outreach — bus cards, social posts, flyers, service alerts and a website with FAQs — and will deploy staff, a transit ambassador volunteer program, and prominent signage at the Blake in advance of May 3. Piper said public service announcements are already running on buses and will continue through the transition.

Service changes and accommodations

Johnson reviewed route placements and service adjustments: most routes will keep their patterns but begin and end at the temporary downtown location; the route 29 will be temporarily suspended because construction made a viable routing impossible, and route 26 will increase frequency to every 30 minutes to provide alternative coverage. Core routes will serve particular curb positions on Fifth and Washington; some regional buses (Michigan Flyer and others) will be relocated to nearby curbs and State Street locations.

On accessibility, Johnson and Piper said the agency is working with city staff and the DDA to ensure curbside locations allow ramp deployment and are at slopes appropriate for people using mobility devices. Where curb slopes exceed acceptable thresholds the agency avoided placing stands. The Ride has identified a sales and information site at 314 East Washington that will offer ticketing and a customer service presence; that space will not have indoor waiting for all customers before shelters and benches are delivered in June.

“We’re working hard to provide some amenities at 5th and Washington for passengers,” Johnson said, while warning that not all amenities will be in place by May 3.

Technology and customer assistance

Piper said the agency plans to pilot e-ink tablets that display real-time arrivals; the tablets will include a text-to-speech function so visually impaired riders can press a button to hear arrival information. He also said the agency is asking third-party apps (Transit, Google) to ingest The Ride’s schedule feed; those apps’ uptake is ultimately outside The Ride’s control but the agency will publish the updates on its feeds beginning May 3.

Questions from commissioners focused on accessibility: the commission pressed for details about ramps, flat boarding locations, seating/bench availability near stands, public restroom access, and how regional and airport buses will be routed. Johnson and Piper said they had aimed to select flat curb locations where ramps can deploy, will add an ADA door button at the sales location, and have found driver break rooms and restrooms; public restrooms at the temporary hub are not available at opening.

Timeline and permanence

Johnson said the temporary consolidation is tied to construction phasing and that the Blake Transit Center is planned to reopen in late 2026 (November–December) or possibly early 2027; expansion tied to the 350 South 5th project would follow later and is not expected to finish until about 2028.

What happens next

The Ride asked the commission for patience as construction and special-event detours will be frequent this spring and summer. Commissioners requested follow-up updates late this year and next as work proceeds and as The Ride pilots accessibility tools.