WATS Up: June 2021

June 2021

Welcome to the June 2021 edition of WATS Up, the monthly newsletter for Washtenaw Area Transportation Study!

WATS Agency Updates

The Chelsea POP tactical urbanism project is redeploying this fall with improvements along more neighborhood streets. WATS is partnering with the City of Chelsea to host public input meetings next week. Check out the project website at miwats.org/chelseapop to learn more.

Join us for upcoming FAC meetings on July 14. The WATS Federal-Aid Committees (FAC) are a vital part of developing and implementing the Transportation Improvement Program. FACs meet to evaluate data and ensure that all projects have an eligible agency that can deliver any project being presented in the TIP.

The WATS 2023-2026 TIP development schedule is underway. Eligible agencies can expect to see a call for projects in August and applications will be due in September. Stay tuned for more updates.

In May, the WATS Policy Committee approved to have a supplemental call for the approximately $2M of additional HIP-Covid relief funding coming to Washtenaw County. Applications have been submitted and are now under review.

Up On The Blog

Wed, Jun 30

Route Ypsilanti Happening This Summer

By: Suzann Flowers

Building upon the success of the Chelsea Pop project in 2020, WATS is partnering with the City of Ypsilanti and St. Joe’s Ann Arbor to bring Route Ypsilanti. This project is focused on traffic calming

Fare reductions among changes proposed by TheRide. Read More

Michigan fatal crashes increased 12% in 2020 despite less travel. Read More

Chelsea Pop in the news: Chelsea relaunches initiative aimed at calming traffic and supporting non-motorized transportation. Read More

Partner Agency Updates

TheRide fare change proposal comments are being accepted through July 7, 2021. Detailed service plan effective August 2021. Read More

SEMCOG public comment period is now open for updates being made to the 2020-2023 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). Read More

Did You Know?

Have you heard about the University of Michigan’s Smart Intersection Project?

Last year, the USDOT awarded nearly $10M in Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grants to the University of Michigan to deploy a network of “smart intersections” around Ann Arbor. These smart intersections will pave the way for connected/automated vehicles (CAVs) and allow vehicles and infrastructure to interact in a connected environment using state of the art technology. Private and public partners of the project include the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), Ford, Toyota, Qualcomm, the City of Ann Arbor, Continental, Iteris, WSP, P3Mobility, Econolite, and Purdue University.

Get Involved!

Check out the WATS Calendar for upcoming meetings and webinars.