Village FAQs
Q: What's the status of the gas station at Ada Drive and Thornapple?
Q: How are you addressing the congestion at the traffic light at Headley Street and Ada Drive?
Q: How are you addressing the safety of pedestrians crossing Thornapple River Drive at Fase Street?
Q. When will the new riverfront park be completed?
Q:Where is public parking available in the Village?
Q: Where is River Street?
A: River Street runs from Headley Street to Settlers Drive and is planned to connect to the future residential development east of Kingma's Market.
Q: Where is Settlers Drive?
A: The new Settlers Drive can be accessed from Ada Drive and runs next to the Ada Drive Shopping Plaza. Settlers Drive connects directly to the new River Street.
Q: What's the status of the gas station at Ada Drive and Thornapple?
A: While there are no plans at this time, converting the property to a public green/civic space remains a long term goal.
Q: There are blind spots at the intersection of Ada Drive and Bronson and at Ada Drive and Thornapple River Drive. What's being done to fix this?
A: The blind spots are mainly due to vehicles being parked illegally in the yellow-striped and signed “no parking” zones on Ada Drive at the intersections, and the removal of the traffic signal that formerly was in place at the Thornapple River Dr. intersection. Alternative solutions to address this problem could include 1) converting the intersections to 4-way stop; 2) installing traffic signals at one or both intersections or 3) physical measures to prevent illegal parking at the intersections.
Traffic counts were completed at the Ada Drive/Thornapple River Dr. intersection in January 2018 while schools were in session. Traffic volumes on Bronson Street and Thornapple River Drive do not meet established traffic engineering criteria for converting these intersections to either 4-way stops or signalized intersections.. Therefore, the Kent County Road Commission will not permit either of these alternatives to be implemented.
Ada Township and the Road Commission have designed a plan for re-aligned curbs, lane changes and parking changes to achieve multiple objectives of enhancing traffic safety, pedestrian safety and parking supply in the vicinity of these intersections. Curbing will be re-configured at the intersections at Bronson St. and at Thornapple River Dr. to prevent illegal parking and allow vehicles on Bronson and Thornapple River Dr. to pull farther forward at these intersections for better visibility of traffic before proceeding. The bumpouts will also create safer conditions for pedestrians crossing Ada Drive, by shortening the crosswalk distance. Since the traffic counts indicated very low left-turn volumes at the Ada Drive/Thornapple River Dr. intersection during the morning and afternoon peak traffic hours, separate left turn lanes from Ada Drive onto Thornapple River Drive will also be removed as part of this project. Left turns will continue to be accommodated from a single traffic lane in each direction on Ada Drive. The narrower lane configuration and addition of parking is expected to result in lower traffic speeds on Ada Drive as well.
The curb alignment and lane changes will result in a net addition of 7 parking spaces in the Village. Two parking spaces will be removed on Ada Drive in front of the hardware store. Five spaces will be added on the opposite side of Ada Drive, between the Ada Barber Shop and Thornapple River Drive. Four additional new spaces will be provided on Ada Drive and Thornapple River Drive, opposite the Speedway site.
Construction of the project will start on Thursday, October 11 and is anticipated to be completed by mid-November.
Q: How are you addressing the congestion at the traffic light at Headley Street and Ada Drive?
A: Ada Township is aware of traffic backup issues on Thornapple River Drive/Headley Street entering the Village from the south during morning and afternoon commute times. This congestion pre-dates the street changes in the Village that have taken place in the last few years. Analysis of traffic patterns indicates that the afternoon backup is caused in part by traffic backups on Ada Drive at the Fulton St intersection, with traffic frequently backing up all the way to the Headley St. signal. Adjustments to signal timing at the Ada Drive/Fulton St. intersection are being requested of the Michigan DOT to help alleviate this congestion
Q: How are you addressing the safety of pedestrians crossing Thornapple River Drive at Fase Street?
A: The only safety enhancement measure implemented to date has been replacement of pedestrian crossing signs on Thornapple River Drive with signs having a brighter, fluorescent yellow color. Ada Township will also be restriping the pedestrian crossing.The Kent County Road Commission will not permit installing signs indicating vehicles must stop for pedestrians, as such signs are not permitted by the state-wide traffic code that is applicable to townships.
Q: What is Envision Ada?
A: In 2006, the Ada community produced a resident-guided vision for the future of the Ada Village. Then, in 2013, Ada township officials, business owners, residents and visitors joined together in a series of more than 100 meetings and community forums to further clarify that vision. Now, the vision is coming to life.
Construction in the Village began on July 15, 2015, seeking to expand retail, residential and restaurant offerings while showcasing the community’s natural resources and creating a more walkable community.
Q. When will the new riverfront park be completed?
A: Construction of the new park is currently underway. Pedestrian plazas along River Street have been completed, and a public restroom building and playground are now open. The remainder of the park will be completed in fall 2018, including, a riverfront trail, outdoor performance space, landscaping, and riverbank restoration. Please be careful as you enjoy the open areas of the park, as the rest of it is still an active construction zone.
Q. Where is public parking available in the Village?
A: Ada Village offers on-street and off-street parking options. Use this map as a guide to help you find the best spot.
