Lansing, MI determined that a key component to be addressed in its master plan should be its major east-westarteries, which stretch out from the capital across a diverse cross-section of the city.  Oakland/Saginaw, a one-way pair corridor of stable volumes, was perceived to have high speeds and overdesigned capacity that did not fit with the context of land use or neighborhoods.

Various alternatives were evaluated, including keeping the one-way pairs, converting to two-way, and reducing lanes with a road diet.  Through a series of public workshops, there was agreement on performance criteria which led to the eventual recommendation to reduce the number of lanes as part of a transformation into a Complete Street, balancing the diverse transportation needs of automobiles, transit, bikers, and pedestrians.