Lansing halts MLK Jr. Blvd. remake near downtown due to protests, criticism
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
LANSING — A major road reconstruction project cutting across the western edge of downtown Lansing on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard has been halted after neighborhood feedback critical of the project.
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor announced Tuesday that the project would be paused to find a different solution, leaving $1.2 million in state funds in limbo as the city considers new plans to reduce lanes.
The overall $3 million project would have torn apart much of the road, narrowed it and shifted the green space from the median to the downtown side of the boulevard.
It was planned to happen this summer, alongside a sewer project that would have ripped up trees in the median. Both the sewer and road projects have been halted, but the sewer work from Ionia to Saginaw streets will continue north of the now-paused project.
In a statement, Schor said there have been passionate voices against and in favor of the MLK Jr. Boulevard project.
"I have decided it's best to pause, address outstanding questions and possibly revisit this in the future," he said. "I will continue to talk to residents, Public Service staff and road and traffic engineers and experts while we determine future plans."
The proposal would have shifted the northbound lanes to run beside the southbound lanes, either eliminating or drastically reducing the green median and taking it from six to seven lanes to two lanes in each direction with a turn lane. In parts of the project where there was not a turn lane, a small median would remain.
The city's Public Service Department hosted two community open house meetings and solicited comments from the public, including a postcard mailing that went out to about 1,600 residents. About a quarter of the postcards were returned and most were against the project, said Scott Bean, a spokesperson for the mayor's office.
In 2022, the city began converting downtown one-way streets into two-way streets. The MLK Jr. Boulevard project was to be funded with $1.2 million in state money designed to help convert one-way streets.
Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing halts MLK Jr. Blvd. remake near downtown due to protests, criticism
