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Major road construction to take place late spring, summer

April 22, 2014

The first major repair will begin in early May on Coolidge Road between Lake Lansing and Abbey roads.

It is expected to be finished by June 13.

In early June, construction also will begin on Hagadorn Road from Burcham Drive to Haslett Road. It is expected to wrap up by Aug. 1.

Combined, the two projects are expected to cost $915,000, East Lansing engineering administrator Bob Scheuerman said.

He said federal funding will cover about 80 percent of the project expenses.

The remaining projects will be funded by the city of East Lansing from an allocation from the state for road and street work, East Lansing Director of Public Works Todd Sneathen said.

The final major repair will be on Old Hickory Lane from Burcham Drive to Whitehills Drive, which will begin in early June.

It is expected to end Aug. 15.

Other local street work will take place on Merritt Road, Ridgewood Drive, Woodside Drive and Walnut Heights Drive from June 10 to Aug. 15.

The Old Hickory Lane and local street projects are expected to cost $600,000.

The projects will cause full lane closures at night and partial lane closures by day during the paving process.

Smaller projects also include sidewalk repairs and a ramp installation on M.A.C. Avenue from Grand River Avenue to Burcham Drive.

Sneathen said the city tries to plan construction projects in accordance with students’ schedules, specifically with the East Lansing Public School District.

“We try to not do projects that would affect a lot of the student population,” he said.

For journalism sophomore Madeline Carino, the upcoming roadwork in East Lansing is necessary and timely.

“It needs to be done because the roads are pretty horrendous after the winter,” she said.

Carino said summer is the best possible time for road repairs because a large number of the students move out of East Lansing for internships or to return home.

Since the repairs are not happening directly on campus, the road closings will be less of a burden, she said.

Scheuerman said the city uses a rating system to help them determine which streets are in the poorest condition and need the most immediate attention.

City officials consider factors such as rideability, cracking, poor curbs and several others.

Although the chosen roads were already slated for repair before snowfall, the harsh winter contributed to the poor condition of the streets, Scheuerman said.

The season’s repairs will be wrapped up by Aug. 21.

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