LANSING, Mich — As summer begins, construction projects are ramping up across our neighborhoods, including the ongoing Michigan Avenue project that has been affecting local businesses since April.
- Michigan Avenue construction is ongoing, progressing through 4 phases since April of 2024 and is expected to continue through the summer, with completion targeted for fall.
- Local businesses, like The Swap Meet, are being impacted by the construction but are adapting by staying visible and accessible to customers.
- Local business owners are emphasizing communication and cooperation, helping each other with resources like parking and visibility during the disruption.
- City officials indicate future projects are planned, but they will be smaller and less disruptive than the current Michigan Avenue work.
WATCH: Michigan Avenue construction project progresses through fourth phase as businesses adapt to ongoing roadwork
The Michigan Avenue construction has progressed through four phases, with more work still to come.
"We're planning to switch to the next phase right around the 4th of July and maybe a little before that, maybe a little after, and we have 2 more phases this year, so we'll continue towards the west," Kilpatrick said.
Many Michigan Avenue businesses find themselves in the midst of the construction zone as workers wrap up phase four. Despite the challenges, local business owners are finding ways to adapt.
Chad Hester, employee at The Swap Meet, a store that sells both vintage and new gaming systems, has been at his Michigan Avenue location for 13 years.
"We've been here for 13 years now, and it's a great location because we're between downtown and East Lansing," Hester said.
The store offers a variety of gaming options for customers looking for anything from vintage Atari systems to the newer Xbox One.
"We have a lot of East Lansing customers and students and alumni coming to town to visit, and then they just want to come to Lansing and see what's going on here," Hester said.
With construction directly outside their door, businesses like Swap Meet have had to get creative to ensure customers know they're still open.
"The easy answer is just keeping the door physically open so people can see that we're open. Open sign on, everything like that. Just when customers see that open door, they know we're here," Hester said.
Lansing officials confirm that the entire Michigan Avenue construction project remains on schedule to be completed by fall of this year. However, there may be an additional project coming to downtown Lansing soon after.
"That is much smaller, and it might be reconfiguring or putting in some medians or pedestrian crossings, much less disruptive, but that will probably be done under traffic whenever we do that project," Kilpatrick said.
In the meantime, Michigan Avenue businesses are working together as they await the project's completion.
"We all know, hey, this part of the street is going be down, can I use your parking lot? Just communicating so that we can all survive this together," Hester said.
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