Lansing businesses, first responders navigate road work
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – For more than a month, drivers, business owners and first responders around Lansing have been dealing with the multiple closures and detours on Michigan Avenue, I-496 and U.S. 127.
Businesses near those orange cones say they are seeing less green because of the detours.
“Come down here in the middle of the afternoon though and we’ve got dump trucks coming through here, construction vehicles. There’s quite a bit of dust being churned up as well. It’s definitely had an impact on our business,” said Douglas Mulkey, general manager at The People’s Kitchen.
The restaurant sits along a portion of Michigan Avenue already turned into dirt and gravel.
Mulkey says his team prepared for the road closure with social media posts and signs highlighting detours to get to the restaurant.
The People’s Kitchen can be reached from neighborhoods connected to Prospect and Kalamazoo Streets.
He says the weekend brunch menu still draws in the crowds. But week day breakfast and lunch sales have dipped. He’s thankful the community is still stopping by and hopes that support is shared with other businesses along Michigan Avenue.
“Local restaurants open, local restaurants close,” Mulkey said. “If you enjoy your local restaurant please come visit us, take out, take a catering orders, join us for dinner and happy hour. We’d appreciate that very much.”
The multiple construction projects and closures are not only affecting businesses, it’s also adding an extra layer for emergency services to be mindful of as they find the best route to get to those in need.
“The road is open in the morning, you go down the same road at night and it’s closed or vice versa it was open all night and in the morning it’s closed,” said Battalion Chief Aaron Ginsburg with the Lansing Fire Department. He says his crews stay on top of road closures thanks to communication between construction crews, the city’s emergency operations center and patrols through side streets.
Much of that information is passed during morning meetings with each station’s captain.
He says the department has been making adjustments to make sure response times are not affected.
“We’re moving rigs, who goes first, how are they’re getting there, communicating the road closures and asking people to take the alternative routes,” said Ginsburg.
He says people can help crews get where they need to go by pulling off to the side of the road. He says in a construction zone, drivers should find the safest place to move off the side of the road away from workers and equipment. That could mean having to pass through the zone before moving to the side.
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