A Schoolcraft Township resident says he was told by the Road Commission of Kalamazoo County that opposing a massive tree removal plan would jeopardize $25 million in federal funding. He says federal transportation officials told him that was not true.
The conflict centers on the Road Commission's Safe Streets for All initiative, a federally funded project designed to reduce crashes by clearing roadside trees, widening shoulders, and adding rumble strips across the county. Southern Kalamazoo County residents are now pushing back as the work reaches their neighborhoods.
The plan and the pushback
The Road Commission developed the Safe Streets for All initiative in 2023 and received a $25 million federal grant in 2024, according to WOODTV. The project calls for shoulder widening along 16 miles of road, new pavement markings, left turn lanes at high-risk locations, and rumble strips on 130 miles of roadway.
A key provision involves clearing roadside "clear zones." These are areas meant to give drivers space to regain control of a vehicle after leaving the road. The plan would remove an estimated 8,000 trees from county roadways, according to Kalamazoo County Commission Chair Jen Strebs.
"Research and crash data consistently show that fixed-object collisions, including impacts with trees near the roadway, can result in serious injuries and fatalities. The goal of creating clear zones is to provide drivers with additional recovery space and reduce the likelihood of severe crashes," the Road Commission said in a statement.
Residents say the plan will destroy the character of their neighborhoods and make roads less safe during winter months by allowing snow to blow onto roadways from open fields.
Schoolcraft resident challenges the funding claim
Brad Sadowski of Schoolcraft Township told WKZO that Road Commission officials told opponents they would lose their federal funding if they changed the plan in any way. Sadowski said he contacted federal transportation officials who refuted that claim.
Residents including Georgia Evans, Rhonda Walters, and Susie Fitzgibbon addressed the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night. They argued that speeding drivers, not trees, are the real danger on county roads.
"I can't express enough how devastating this will be for our neighborhood. It's going to change the face of our neighborhood. We are the ones who are going to live in the devastation and the ruin and believe me, it's going to be tremendous," Evans told commissioners, according to WOODTV.
County Commission Chair Strebs acknowledged the community's concerns.
"I think this is an example of how that meaningful dialogue when we develop strategies to address widespread systemic issues really have to include community voice. When they do not, which is what appears has occurred in this process, we end up with policies and approaches that can ultimately be harmful in ways we don't recognize because we've never done that before," Strebs said.
What happens next
The homeowners say they are starting a petition drive and plan to escalate their complaints to state and federal agencies, according to WKZO. They want the Road Commission to find alternative ways to spend the federal money that keep trees standing while still improving road safety.
The Road Commission said it is aware of the feedback and is evaluating decisions regarding tree removal within the context of roadway safety, engineering standards, environmental considerations, and community impacts. Some tree removals are slated to begin in the fall.
"Any decisions regarding tree removal are being evaluated within the context of roadway safety, engineering standards, environmental considerations, and community impacts," the commission said in a statement.
For residents in Schoolcraft and other southern Kalamazoo County townships, the question is whether the Road Commission will adjust its plan or move forward with removing thousands of trees that have stood along county roads for decades.