The park and ride lot was a joint effort between Grand Valley, the City of Walker and The Rapid. The project was awarded federal funding based on its effectiveness in terms of relieving congesting and reducing automobile tailpipe emissions.
The project received a $180,000 allocation in Federal CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) funds as well as a $45,000 state matching grant.
The beauty is that Grand Valley acquired 90 additional parking spaces at no additional cost to our students, said Lisa Haynes, assistant vice president of Pew Campus Operations & Regional Centers.
The Walker park and ride is the third in the Standale area. The other lots are located at Meijer and the old Ralphs Food Market lot.
In 1999, there were 700 riders a week on the campus connector. There are now 14,000 riders a day on the university transit system.
For more information, contact Lisa Haynes at (616) 331-6700.
