Artist's rendering of the completed Farm Lane underpass.

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The opening of Farm Lane to all traffic has been delayed until fall, according to officials from Michigan State University and the Michigan Department of Transportation.

“We are working to reduce the impacts on students and staff once fall semester resumes and on football game day traffic,” says Jeff Kacos, director of campus planning and administration. “We look forward to the earliest possible completion of this significant project and the positive impact it will have not only on the MSU community, but on the surrounding communities as well.”

The project involves lowering Farm Lane under two existing railroad crossings, along with widening the road from two lanes to five and adding new sidewalks and bike paths. New pump stations and detention basins also are part of the project.

“We are working closely with the contractor, Posen Construction, to finalize a revised construction schedule so we know the exact date of when roads will reopen,” said MDOT Transportation Service Center Manager Steve Bower. “We hope to have the project wrapped up and back open to traffic as quickly as possible.”

The delay in the completion date is tied to the late delivery of four large structural steel beams earlier in the project that were needed to complete the two railroad bridges.

Farm Lane, Service Road and Trowbridge Road on the campus of MSU have been closed since the spring of 2008 for construction. The original estimate had all three roads reopen to traffic in the summer of 2009.

For more information on the project, go to the MDOT construction Web site at www.michigan.gov/farmlane, or to the MSU construction Web site at www.construction.msu.edu.

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