Big Changes Proposed For I-475 In Flint

Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced some surprising ideas to change the way that I-475 looks in Flint.

Most of 475 has been closed down over the last year for a major resurfacing project, but now the expressway is back open. I assumed that the never ending work on the stretch of roadway was done, but that might not be the case. This week, Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley proposed an idea that would completely change the layout of 475 in Flint.

So what is the big change that Mayor Neeley is suggesting? Basically, he is proposing that a large section of 475 become a two lane divided highway that runs at the same level as the city. Right now 475 is a full expressway, that is raised above the city for the majority of it's length through the city. Mayor Neeley explained his proposal in a press release from the City of Flint.

This would level the landscape and allow for creation of a boulevard that would run through the city so that downtown could be reconnected to the adjacent neighborhoods.

This idea is in the very beginning stages of the proposal, and it's not even clear if the changes are possible. What is clear is that Mayor Neeley is looking for input about the proposed changes from Flint residents.

Mayor Neeley is hosting a resident input session on Wednesday October 21st at 6:30pm. You will be able to watch and interact with the session on the City of Flint Facebook page here or on their YouTube channel here.

I'm intrigued by the idea of turning 475 into a divided highway. There are always a ton of accidents on 475 through the winter, and even though it runs right through the heart of Flint, you never get the feeling that you are in the city. It might be a nice boost for the community to have more people driving through.