Another issue - the B2B trail is up against the support piers of bridges that need rebuilding, and will face closures. We wonder if a new, permanent path on the north side of the river might work better than their plan to build a temporary causeway.

www.michigan.gov/mdo...

To review, the "Safely Connecting Communities" alternative would rebuild US-23 without adding lanes, and focusing on multi-model access across and throughout the corridor. We need to make sure they hold the line against widening, though - some stakeholders still want it.

... but perhaps even more than that, we want to thank the MDOT University Region staff for really taking the feedback seriously, and shifting this project in a direction that will be more sustainable, accessible, and equitable for future generations of Michiganders!

Thanks to all our supporters, and the City of Ann Arbor and The Ride, for the concerted advocacy to make this happen...

Also, we encourage y'all to weigh in on the M-17 study as well, in favor of Alternative C (Business Access Transit Lanes). That "virtual open house" ALSO closes on the 10th.

www.washtenawpel.com/

If you're short on time or creativity, use the suggested comment language from our website - trainsnotlanes.org/t...

We do not oppose rebuilding the bridges, but we believe non-motorized traffic should be maintained with just as much care as e.g. vehicular traffic on US-23 itself.

The good news is, the city must sign off this plan. Contact your city council reps if you share our concerns!

When the trail is fully closed, their suggestion is for folks to use the AAATA route 3 bus as a detour. We do not think this is reasonable. Route 3 runs only every 30 minutes at best - only hourly for evenings/weekends - and each bus only can carry 2 bikes!

Their current concept is to build a temporary stone causeway out into the river, to reroute trail traffic away from the construction site. However, they also say that the trail will need to be fully closed some of the time (but won't speculate on how often or for how long).

Also, be sure to hit that "follow" button if you haven't already. We'll be sharing many more updates and further advocacy plans as our campaign progresses. And again, a huge thanks to our supporters for helping us get this far!

3. Check out the "Communities over Highways" campaign from America Walks - and use their form letter to contact your state & federal reps. Wasteful, expensive, climate-destroying freeway expansions are a problem not just here, but across the whole US!

americawalks.org/the...

2. Fill out the official comment form and add pins on the mapping tool telling MDOT not to expand the freeway, and to consider a transit alternative instead - we even have some sample language you can use!

trainsnotlanes.org/t...

1. Make sure you've signed our petition - then post it to your neighborhood and friend groups and keep spreading the word. We're at about 1000 signatures - that’s huge, but less than 1% of A2. We need many more to show our strength!

www.change.org/p/tra...

... well okay, two memes.

Honestly, we didn't have this specifically in mind when we named our campaign, but still... how could we NOT throw a little credit to @alanthefisher.bsky.social for the idea?!

www.youtube.com/watc...