GVMC - WKTV Journal

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
WKTV Managing Editor
joanne@wktv.org

The Airport Access Study is looking at three different possible new entrances to the airport along with improving its current entrances. (Supplied)

Area residents have until Sept. 2 to weigh in on their thoughts of proposed improve access to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport.

Residents can visit www.gvmc.org/airport-acces-study to share their thoughts on three new proposed entrance ways along with improvements to the current airport entrances and the addition of other modes of transportation, such as buses, rails, and bicycles, to the airport.

Traffic at Ford Airport continues to increase

The Grand Valley Metro Council, in partnership with several local municipalities such as the Kent Count Road Commission and the City of Kentwood as well as the Ford Airport and the Michigan Department of Transportation has spend the past couple of months investigating ways to improve access to the airport as well as the surrounding local road and freeway systems.

The Airpot Access Study also considers other transportation options besides vehicles. (Supplied)

Before the COVID pandemic, the Ford Airport had some of its highest passenger numbers in history and while those numbers dipped during the pandemic, like it did for many other airports across the country, in the past few months, the Ford Airport has seen its numbers return to pre-pandemic levels.

With indications that the airport’s passenger traffic will continue to increase, the GVMC decided to conduct an Airport Access Study for the Ford Airport with the goal of finding improved access to the airport.

Currently the Ford Airport’s main entrances are the Patterson Avenue/60th Street and Patterson Avenue/44th Street, where there have been a number of crashes. There is also a lack of sidewalks in the area preventing non-motorize options.

Creating a better flow

Through the process, the GVMC came up with three new access points to the airport along with improvements to the airport’s current entryways. Those improvements for the current entrances would include better signage and road markings, rerouting of traffic patterns and a planned road widening along Patterson by MDOT.

The first alternative access would be from I-96 and 36th Street, which would create a direct roadway from 36th Street to the terminal, avoids parking expansion on the north side of the terminal, and includes a tunnel below the current and future expanded runway.

The next alternative access would be Thornapple River Drive which would add access points for freight traffic for the airport’s growing cargo operations hub.

The third alternative would be a proposed M-6 access that would combine a ring road extended from 60th Street to Thornapple River Dive and add M-6 interchanges. This alternative would require a comprehensive roadway reconfiguration but would prove new access to help separate freight traffic from passenger traffic and support the developing industrial area that is southwest of the airport.

By rail, trail, bus or bike

The study also looks at alternative modes of transportation to the airport such as transit services and pedestrian and bicycle lanes. These alternatives include a downtown express bus/shuttle, expanded transit service in the Cascade and Caledonia areas, extending MDOT rail line from north-south to directly to the airport terminal, terminal curb extension to accommodate and separate departure and arrival traffic, and proposed sidewalks with new non-motorized facilities planned along the surrounding area.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

The Grand Valley Metro Council is looking at access to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. (Supplied)

How much does having busing services impact you when heading to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport? Do you find it easy to be dropped off at the airport? What improvements would you suggest for access to the Ford Airport?

These are just some of the questions residents and stakeholders are being asked to on an Airport Access Study survey hosted by the Grand Valley Metro Council and the Gerald R. Ford International Airport.

The project is in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation, Kent Conty Road Commission, City of Kentwood, Cascade Township, and engineering firm AECOM. The study is designed to investigate ways to improve access to the airport as well as the surrounding local road and freeway systems. Rapids growth and develop at the airport, and in the Greater Grand Rapids Area, makes now an import time to consider how best to provide access in the airport area into the future, according to organizers of the study.

“While labeled ‘Airport Access,’ this study focuses on transportation through a broader lens, looking at what modes of transportation are needed, how people get to and from the airport and its surrounding area, and how it can be improved upon,” said Laurel Joseph, GVMC Director of Transportation Planning. “Dating back to efforts made in the 80s and 90s, we recognize the far-reaching impacts this project will have.”

The study will examine current transportation needs and changing travel patterns including airport passenger and cargo traffic, road connections and access, traffic operations and safety, bike and pedestrian circulation, transit service, railroad connections, airport security, and terminal access redundancy. The study also will evaluate different airport access alternatives, leading to a recommended alternative (or alternatives) and an accompanying implementation and action plan.

The start of this project will be the survey which will ask residents and stakeholders to consider the type of travel they did before the pandemic, how frequently they visited the airport, what modes of transportation they took, and the ease of access to the airport. Participants will be asked if shuttles, biking, walking or parking impact access to the airport. Participants also will have an opportunity to identify airport access areas they feel need improvement. Filling out the survey takes about five to 10 minutes.

“Out communities continue to grow and change, attracting national talent in various industries,” Joseph said. “ Our airport and its connecting transportation system need to not only meet our current needs but also projected growth. The goal is to find ways to improve the accessibility, functionality, safety, and efficiency of the transportation network for years to come. we cannot do that without the essential input of those traveling to, from, and through the area today.”

Joseph said the goal is to collect as much community input as possible. To help with that, survey participants many enter into a $50 gift card drawing. There will be two winners. The survey will be open until the end of April.

For more information about the project, click here. To take the survey, click here. (Survey is available in both English and Spanish.)