The design of the new overpass on Farm Lane specifically was designed to mirror buildings around campus. The roadway was opened to traffic Wednesday.
Two years of construction on Farm Lane wrapped up at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning and the road is now open to traffic.
The $42.5 million road project finished one month after its initial opening date, but university officials said they estimate the project came in on budget.
The project included widening the road and installing bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides of the road. A hill on Service Road also was flattened to improve the line of sight for oncoming drivers, Kacos said.
The project began in 2007 and stretched from north of Service Road to the corner of Farm Lane and Mount Hope Road. Director of Campus Planning and Administration Jeff Kacos said because the Michigan Department of Transportation, or MDOT, was in charge of construction, the university does not know the exact cost of the project.
“We won’t know the final cost for about a year,” Kacos said. “Right now I would say we are right on budget.”
The project originally was scheduled for completion in August. The delay was caused by materials and work being incomplete before the school year started.
“The biggest delay we had was the delivery of steel for the overpasses,” MDOT spokeswoman Kari Arend said.
Construction on the roads is complete, but drivers might experience single lane closures as crews finish up some landscaping around the area, Kacos said.
“There are odds and ends here and there,” he said. “That work can continue while the road is in operation.”
“I don’t really use Farm Lane down that far, so I didn’t even notice that it was closed down.” kinesiology senior Alex Maroko said. “I don’t think the roads have to be widened, but the bike riders should be given more room.”
Some students agree with Maroko that the road is far away from the rest of
campus and not utilized a lot.
“I never go that far down on campus,” hospitality business senior Raliegh Holmes said. “I don’t think the roads should have been widened, because there’s just not enough traffic to spend all the money they did.”
With the road now open, Kacos said he hopes it will alleviate congestion on campus because of faster bus services to the commuter lot.
“Now the bus service that connects that lot with campus will be much more viable because it won’t be interrupted,” Kacos said.
A grand opening for the road, including a ribbon-cutting ceremony, is scheduled to be held Oct. 16.
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