At the heart of the plan behind Abbot Road is the safety and convenience of commuters and pedestrians traveling this major roadway. The city has made this project a priority because of incidents that have occurred on the road, complaints that have been logged and studies showing the existing roadway does not support traffic flow.

To say that this project was not well planned and did not take into consideration the students is untrue. The city kept open lines of communication with all of the apartment complex owners in the area and worked with Capital Area Transportation Authority so bus routes would be minimally impacted. In addition, the roadway north of Lake Lansing Road did not come into East Lansing’s jurisdiction until three years ago, well after the majority of the Northern Tier apartment projects were completed. These apartment projects were approved by Bath Township officials. When the land north of Lake Lansing Road came into the city, officials immediately saw the need to improve the traveling conditions and safety along Abbot Road and made this project a priority. Students already were living in this area and therefore the project’s impact on all students and residents living in that area became unavoidable.

The city can only ask for the public’s patience during the next nine months as the road is widened, the surface is improved and the nonmotorized, pedestrian-safe pathways are incorporated. Projects of this scope cannot be completed in one summer construction season, but in the end, all who drive along that road in the coming years will reap the benefits.

Virginia Avenue

Construction of the road and infrastructure along the 600 block of Virginia Avenue is proceeding on schedule. Construction plans have consistently called for finishing the infrastructure in 2008, with a paved road being finished in spring 2008. This will be accomplished once asphalt paving plants open this spring. The underground utility work was completed last fall, saving the contractor and city money by not having to remobilize the crews again in the spring.

The project has been extremely challenging because of significant infrastructure reconstruction. The city staff, in coordination with our contractor, has worked through each issue with only minimal interference to the seven homes remaining on the block. City employees have had direct contact with homeowners and renters in that area and have personally worked to solve any problems that have arisen. To date, the construction has gone smoothly given the complicated nature of the underground work in the area and despite two unusual thaws this winter.

The city has not “overspent by millions.” A financial pro forma was created with the understanding it would need to be revised, as the project was extremely dynamic and a cutting-edge approach to residential redevelopment. Since that time, the project has changed due to revisions in the number of properties acquired, the number of new units to be built and other factors. Staff has been diligent in ensuring the project is completed to the highest quality, while also ensuring that the project’s sources of revenue are sufficient to equal the necessary expenditures.

Nathan Triplett

East Lansing City Council