COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Coldwater City Manager Jeff Budd says increased car and truck traffic in the city is noticeable but right now is not a matter of any real concern. According to Budd, the higher traffic volume is a positive development in part due to the economic recovery with added people having more money to spend and bringing those dollars into Coldwater.
Budd acknowledged the off and on congestion especially on U.S. 12 through the downtown where the reconfiguration of the roadway five years ago by MDOT from four to three lanes has had an impact during the morning and late afternoon hours creating occasional backups. The City had a number of issues with the state when the new design for U.S. 12 was introduced with sides taken on the pros and cons of making the change with the intent of improving driver’s safety by slowing down traffic through the area.
More vehicle traffic could be expected in coming months with the construction and opening in 2017 of the Clemens Pork Production facility north of Coldwater near I-69 and Jonesville Road. However, Budd says a study done by the city for the Clemens project indicates not a lot of the traffic from the factory would be coming through downtown Coldwater because of the plant’s proximity to the interstate with many of the workers heading out in a lot of different directions.
