Huntsville’s planning department continues to take input from the public regarding its project to expand roads and integrate modes of travel along a busy artery that cuts through the heart of the city.

Last week, sessions were held Monday – Thursday to receive feedback about the University Drive Transit Oriented Development Planning Study. Members of the planning department had day-long meetings with consultants, then held open forums from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Dennis Madsen, manager of urban and long-range planning for Huntsville, said the four days and nights of dialogue went “very well’’ and his department got “really good information’’ as the project moves forward.

“Lots of people came out for public engagement,’’ he said Friday. “We got some really good feedback. We got so much input, we’ll go back and refine the concepts.’’

The department kicked off public meetings in June at UAH and has plans to continue seeking opinions from residents for the study, which is focused on finding the best way to combine public transportation – busing, walking and biking – with developments in the communities of Northwoods, UAH and the MidCity District.

According to the City, Huntsville was one of 20 communities in 16 states selected by the Federal Transit Administration for its FY 2023 Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development Planning grant.

The TOD Planning Study is 100 percent federally funded, with no local match required. Plans call for the redesigned route to link the Hospital District and downtown to MidCity, and perhaps even further out in the future.

“Every time we do transit route updates, we see riderships go up,’’ Madsen told the crowd at the first planning session. “Our city was one of the fastest to rebound to pre-COVID riderships after COVID. There’s a lot of demand. There’s a lot of need out there. So we know we can continue to grow our road network.

“That’s very important, but we know we also have to focus on alternative modes. We have to continue to build out our bike network. We have to continue building out our sidewalk network, but we also have to be thinking about the future of transit.’’

TODs were developed by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. The initiative is an approach to urban development designed to bring people, services and activities together with quality public transit supported by walking and cycling conditions to facilitate shorter trips, better lifestyles and more efficient use of city resources.

Dates and places for future public sessions are to be announced. According to Madsen, these events provide perspective and blend community input from residents and businesses that ring the well-traveled route.