Michigan's representatives in the Legislature are bringing home the bacon to MSU with a $286 billion highway and mass transit spending bill, of which $16.8 million will go toward a railroad underpass on Farm Lane.
MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said decreasing motorist frustration, increasing public safety and aiding the area economically are the reasons for the project. After it is completed, cars will no longer have to wait for train crossings but can pass underneath the tracks.
Solving the problems of congestion and safety are important reasons for moving ahead with this plan, and we agree with university and government leaders about both. It's hard to argue against these points, after all. Converting the railroad crossing to an underpass will allow for better traffic flow and decrease the rates of train-related pedestrian and automobile accidents.
Another consideration in favor of the underpass is improved response times for emergency services. If the Farm Lane crossing has been avoided because of its narrow lanes and frequent train crossings - causing emergency vehicles to take longer, more time consuming routes - then the underpass offers a definite advantage.
The economic growth argument is a little more complicated. The underpass will result in more efficient transportation of people and goods, but this will not have direct economic results. Saving a few minutes here and there and a little fuel will only subtly change the local economy.
The capital investment used to fund the project will, of course, have a more direct impact on the economy - although the same could be said of any project, whether it is building an underpass or any other conceivable thing.
But it appears this project is a sensible one. Currently, about 60 trains per day pass through this area on campus, resulting in a total of about five hours of delays. In comparison, about 12,000 vehicles and 500 pedestrians cross the tracks each day. That's a lot of traffic and delays.
These delays can be frustrating, and it's about time something was done to alleviate the problem. Motorists shouldn't have to wait for 20 minutes at the train crossing just to get from campus to the commuter parking lot.
This project will be a step forward for MSU's 2020 Vision Plan, which outlines long-term development goals for the MSU campus, such as increased green space and renovation of facilities. Naturally, the progress of the 2020 Vision Plan is slow, but it's good to see something in the works.
