Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region, in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), has conducted a Coordinated Human Services Public Transit Plan and Accessibility Study for Baraga, Houghton and Keweenaw Counties.
WUPPDR’s main charges were to:
- Examine existing services provided by public, private and non-profit service providers;
- Identify gaps and redundancies in existing services;
- Provide recommendations and strategies to fill “needs” identified for the current system; and
- Prioritize recommendations and potential funding sources for implementation.
The first phase of planning included a Community Self-Assessment Survey (which was available from 9/10/2010 to 9/29/2010) and a Transit Services Stakeholder meeting (held on 9/29/2010).
Community Self-Assessment Survey
Stakeholder Meeting Presentation
Stakeholder Meeting Discussion Notes / Brainstorm
The second phase of planning was public input on the region’s transportation services. This included a public survey (available from 11/12/2010 to 12/31/2010 and 3/23/2011 to 4/20/2011) along with community outreach events in November 2010 and April 2011.
Baraga, Houghton, and Keweenaw Counties Transit Survey(PDF Version)
BHK Transit Spring/Winter Analysis
Both phases of input were combined with pre-planning and professional development, a literature review, and a great deal of research on existing agencies in our region and elsewhere to develop a draft plan. Written comments were taken from stakeholders involved with the plan and incorporated into the draft.
Before completion of the final document, a public forum was held to present the study and its recommendation, take questions, and accept comments from the general public. The forum was held on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at the Portage Lake District Library Community Room in Houghton.
After consideration and incorporation of final public input, the study is now complete. The study’s final recommendation is for interested local governments to form a regional transit authority over the course of five years. View the plan below:
Coordinated Human Services – Public Transit Plan and Accessibility Study (9.68 MB)
This study will be followed up by a second project to create a website providing users with transit and carpooling resources in WUPPDR’s entire six-county region. For more information, see: