WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2023
According to reports, demolition and reconstruction for the Farm Lane bridge on Michigan State University’s campus has recently begun. The $48 million project will reportedly completely rebuild the 90-year-old bridge and add bike lanes, with an additional pedestrian bridge a few yards west of the structure.
The effort is anicipated to improve the structure’s capacity, as well as pedestrian and bicyclist safety. The first phases of the project are expected to be completed by Aug. 22, with the bridge remaining open to pedestrians and bicyclists throughout the summer.
“Reconstructing the Farm Lane Bridge is vital to ensuring the safety of Spartans. We know the construction will be a great inconvenience, but the bridge’s heavy use is exactly why this project is necessary,” said Dan Bollman, MSU vice president for strategic Infrastructure Planning and Facilities.
“We want to act now before further deterioration results in unplanned closures and more costly work.”
About the Project
The bridge reportedly sees around 12,000 vehicles and 7,000 pedestrians during a typical class day; though when completed, the new project aims to allow for a heavier flow of traffic. Once students leave for the end-of-the-semester break, the road will reportedly close through the spring 2024 semester while the bridge is demolished and rebuilt.
“We know that this has been a large inconvenience for everyone who's been visiting campus over the summer, but it is necessary that the bridge be fully replaced to ensure that it can be used for many decades in the future,” said Fred Woodhams, communications manager for MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilities.
Photos: Farm Lane bridge reconstruction site on the Michigan State University campus https://t.co/Eg4sgdLHt5
— Lansing State Journal (@LSJNews) July 13, 2023
According to MSU, safety inspections from 2019 and 2021 had resulted in the bridge’s weight limit being reduced, as well as having northbound traffic shift to the middle lane. Additionally, loaded tractor trailers are now reportedly prohibited from using the bridge.
“It has deteriorated to an extent that reconstruction is necessary to ensure campus' main river crossing remains safe to use,” Woodhams told the Lansing State Journal. “If bridge load limits were reduced much further, large commercial trucks like fire trucks, garbage trucks and snow plows might not be able to use the bridge.”
The structure is the only campus bridge over the Red Cedar River with a road surface above the 100-year floodplain, meaning that in the event of a flood, it would be one of the only means of transport across the river.
In addition to the reconstruction, the new bridge will reportedly provide a barrier-free path to the bank of the Red Cedar River and an entry to The Rock, a campus monument at the northeast corner of the bridge.
The new bridge will also provide infrastructure for increased electricity distribution to the north campus, a fiber optic communication duct for faster data transfer and a steam main that is not susceptible to flooding.
Tagged categories: Bridges; Bridges; Colleges and Universities; Demolition; Historic Structures; Infrastructure; Infrastructure; Ongoing projects; Program/Project Management; Rehabilitation/Repair; Roads/Highways
