The city will pay about $260,040, or 20 percent, of the estimated $1.3 million project. The Michigan Department of Transportation will pay the balance.

These pathways will make Saginaw Street a safer and more convenient road for nonmotorized travelers, said Todd Sneathen, East Lansing’s director of public works.

“The current sidewalk structure has too many gaps,” he said. “(These pathways) will give people traveling east and west along Saginaw Street the ability to get to a signalized intersection and cross the street there instead of having to cross on grass.”

Wider than sidewalks, these 8-foot pathways will be large enough to accommodate pedestrians and bikers at the same time.

As opposed to bike lanes, which are built on the road, the pathways will border the outside of the road, which has a 45-mph speed limit.

Because construction will occur off the road, Saginaw Street will not close during the project, Sneathen said.

With two elementary schools and a bevy of MSU students living in the area, the city needed to find a way to make the road safer, Mayor Sam Singh said.

“We decided to focus on how we could provide a safer environment for bicyclists and pedestrians,” Singh said. “I can’t think of many bicyclists who feel safe traveling on Saginaw. Having this type of pathway is going to be a wonderful asset to that part of the city.”

Nate Durkin, a computer science freshman, said the city should continue brainstorming ways to make the road safer.

Durkin said he enjoys riding on bike lanes because he doesn’t have to fight through pedestrian traffic. Pathways would be equally beneficial, he said.

“People are stupid drivers,” Durkin said. “Anything that will get (bikers) off the same road as them is a good idea.”