The Blake Transit Center closed May 3, altering the commutes of Ann Arbor community members who utilize the stop for TheRide’s fleet of buses. The closure — which is expected to last for the remainder of the calendar year — is accommodating construction on the Downtown Development Authority’s Fourth Avenue Street & Transit Improvements project. The project comes as the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority plans to improve bus services through TheRide 2045 plan.
In an email to The Michigan Daily, DDA Executive Director Maura Thomson wrote the construction on Fourth Avenue will improve accessibility and safety for passengers of TheRide.
“The project has many features that improve accessibility including widened sidewalks, improved lighting, crosswalk improvements, audible pedestrian signals, and tactile pavers in the walking zone at crosswalk and driveway approaches,” Thomson wrote. “A much-needed midblock crosswalk will be added; this crosswalk will feature audible pedestrian signals and RRFB’s (rectangular rapid flashing beacons).”…