Local residents can weigh in on current and future traffic concerns at two SEMCOG open house meeting in Troy and Commerce Township.
(Stephen Frye / MediaNews Group)
Southeast Michigan Council of Governments’ meeting on regional transportation has been rescheduled to Wednesday evening in Troy.
SEMCOG is hosting the meeting to hear from anyone interested in updating the existing strategy, called Vision 2050. This is an extension of an outlook to 2045 completed in 2019.
The regional transportation plan is a long-term strategy for managing the transportation network, taking into account natural resources, tourism, healthcare needs and the economy.
Oakland County Commissioner Gwen Markham, a Novi Democrat, will be at the meeting. She is vice chairperson on SEMCOG’s executive committee.
“The transportation coordinating council really has been trying to bring competing groups together to find consensus on things like bike paths and lane miles,” she said, “We look at whether we widen highways by adding a lane or find other ways to move traffic. What works in Ferndale doesn’t necessarily appeal to people in Lyon Township, for instance. Where SEMCOG really shins is bringing people together to set priorities.”
Common goals help communities make a stronger case for federal infrastructure funding, she said.
While mass transit isn’t specifically part of Wednesday’s conversation, she said, SEMCOG looks at big-picture issues.
“We’re really forward focused,” she said. “SEMCOG is trying to solve the problems of tomorrow before they happen.”
She said a resident recently called to complain about road construction. Markham reminded the caller that the road had been torn up to replace three stormwater culverts that had collapsed.
“Bad roads are torn up to fix the flooding problems we’ve had. It’s all related,” she said.
SEMCOG’s public meeting is 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30 at the Troy Community Center, 3179 Livernois Road.
To learn more about the regional transportation plan and how you can influence decisions, visit https://vision-southeast-michigan-semcog.hub.arcgis.com. SEMCOG will finalize the plan in June, 2024.
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