Pathway to Extremely Popular West Michigan State Park Goes on Road Diet

Plan to head to a Michigan State Park along Lake Michigan during a summer weekend and you likely know what to expect, some significant traffic.

The path to Holland State Park will be getting a 'road diet' reducing the number of travel lanes.

The Ottawa County Road Commission announced today that the road will be restriped to change the traffic flow. Currently there are 2 lanes each for eastbound and westbound travel.

Between 144th and 116th Avenues that will shift to allow one lane of travel westbound (towards Lake Michigan and Holland State Park) and two eastbound lanes with traffic heading towards Lakewood Boulevard and US 131 and Business Loop I-196.

There will be a left turn lane added in this stretch which will likely be an upgrade to allow a more free flow of traffic.

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144th Ave, or Division, is where Douglas Ave becomes Ottawa Beach Road.

Many on social media were skeptical of the change:

The amount of traffic during tulip time and the summer is going to be hell. Especially for the people that live over here. Like why? I get the fast drivers but cmon.

Forgot being able to turn left off 160th onto OBR. It’s already next to impossible in the summer and now it will be impossible. What does it take to get a light at that corner?

Why are there going to be 2 eastbound lanes? It's always the busiest going West, but now it's just 1 lane. Did you intend to slow the traffic, or just make it one big bottleneck?

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It will be interesting to watch this summer how traffic reacts to this change. The OCRC does note that this is a pilot program. Since the project is simply a paint job and not a reduction in pavement, what is changed can always be changed again.