LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Lansing drivers beware; those big orange barrels are back on Michigan Avenue.
As of Friday, a portion of Michigan Avenue near downtown Lansing will be closed off for construction, leaving some business owners concerned about how it might impact day-to-day operations.
“It’s kind of disheartening, because it slows down the traffic and it actually makes it harder to get here,” said Deon Patton, who owns Cut N Edge barber shop.
Phase four of the city of Lansing’s Michigan Avenue rehabilitation plan focuses on a stretch of road from Lathrop Street to Leslie Street.
The work is going to take place right in front of Patton’s shop, but he’s been through it before when crews were working on a different portion of the road.
“Last year it did impact the business,” he told News 10.
Patton is now preparing for a summer of crumbling concrete and directing his customers to the fastest detour, in anticipation of the project’s end result, which is bringing the avenue down from five lanes to four.
“I mean I’m not mad with it because it gives people a longer time at the light, and they ride past and can see the signage and stuff,” he said. I think it’s pretty cool.”
Other entrepreneurs on the block are not so convinced the finished product will be worth the pain it takes to get there.
Reem Hanna is worried about keeping Jerusalem Bakery afloat with customers facing barriers to getting through her door.
“It really affects us dramatically, because there are payments, there is stuff we need to do. It’s not the same income,” she said. “The payments are the payments. Nobody is going to feel bad for us.”
Hanna told News 10 that the last round of construction did have an impact on sales, but things bounced back quickly when it was through.
She’s hopeful the customers who continue to show support, in person and on social media, will help Michigan Avenue businesses survive it again.
“When somebody posts something online, you feel the difference the next day, that it affected, and it made it better,” she said.
While the construction is ongoing, business owners say they do not want people to avoid Michigan Avenue, but rather use adjacent streets like Kalamazoo and Saginaw, assisted by side streets, to get to their destinations.
It’s not just businesses that will have to make adjustments, but critical community services, like health care. University of Michigan Health Sparrow Hospital said it is working with local first responders to find alternative routes to their emergency room entrance and parking garage.
For patients trying to get to the hospital for care, University of Michigan Health Regional Chief Operating Officer Connie O’Malley said signage will soon be popping up to point people in the right direction.
“The city has been very accommodating with that to make sure that our drives are open so patients can get to where they need to go,” O’Malley said. “So just go slow, take your time, follow the signs and the detours. We will be there to support you. If you’re lost, we will be there to answer those questions for you.”
Regarding the return of the construction, the Lansing Public Service Department issued the following statement:
“The City of Lansing Public Service Department has made working with the businesses along Michigan Avenue a top priority during this construction project and is willing to work with them further to produce information regarding access. The Public Service Department plans to send information to the neighborhoods located north and south of the project area, which will include project information and any desired information businesses in the project area wish to include. We understand that construction is a challenge for these businesses and will continue to work with them until the project is complete.”
The construction is expected to conclude in July. Then, crews will start planning for the fifth and sixth phases of the project.
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