Anyone who has to venture to the south side of campus knows what it's like to wait.
The university estimates about 60 trains, sometimes up to two miles long, chug along the CSX and CN railroads on tracks crossing Farm Lane between Trowbridge and Mt. Hope roads each day.
The railroad tracks also cross Harrison Avenue, but buildings are too close to the street to allow for the construction of an underpass.
"Trains are getting longer and becoming more frequent," Director of Campus Park and Planning Jeffrey Kacos said.
Drivers' wait time can range between five and 45 minutes.
But Kacos and other university officials want to build two underpasses along Farm Lane. The project also entails widening the road from two to four lanes.
"It's a big project. It's expensive," Kacos said. "We need to cover a lot of ground and get a lot of support from Congress before we're successful."
The university wants the federal government to earmark funds for the project, which early estimates place at about $25 million. Officials need to finish a feasibility study and an environmental assessment,Kacos said.
MSU is working with East Lansing and the Ingham County Road Commission on the project.
Kacos said the project would end some safety problems - like restricted access to the south side of campus by emergency vehicles.
David Porteous, chairman of the MSU Board of Trustees, agreed the project is vital.
"This is important to the university, especially for the safety of our students, our faculty, our employees and the thousands of visitors that come everyday," Porteous said.
But East Lansing fire Capt. Mark Galat said while the underpasses would be an asset, the department encounters few train delays.
"We haven't really been caught by trains a lot over the years," he said.
About 12,000 vehicles use Farm Lane each day, but that number is expected to increase to 16,000 by the year 2020.
Mechanical engineering graduate student Yang Long said underpasses would speed up his trip into campus. The Spartan Village resident said while waiting for trains can get boring, he might not be around to enjoy the underpasses.
"It depends on how long it would take to build it," he said, adding he expects to graduate next year.
