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2009 Construction Initiatives

Reduced Sewage Overflow, Improved Roadway

November 17, 2009

LANSING ----- Although outside, trees are losing their leaves, the end of the 2009 construction season has Lansing glowing green. The 2009 construction season has resulted in a cleaner, greener Lansing and 33.6 miles of improved roadways through the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Program and other construction initiatives.

"It has been a record-setting year of important improvements to our roadways that will make for smoother drives and cleaner rivers for years to come," said Chad Gamble, P.E., the City's public service director.

The most significant and extensive construction was the CSO Control Program. The 40,656 feet of new sewerline and 31,135.67 feet of water main construction added in the 2009 season are already reducing the amount of sewage overflow that pollutes Lansing's rivers. Up to this point, the CSO Control Program's work has eliminated an average of 585 million gallons of sewage overflow into the rivers each year; system upgrades made in the 2009 construction season increase this amount by 367.1 million gallons, meaning there is now 952.1 million fewer gallons of sewage overflow hitting Lansing's rivers each year.

Of the eight CSO project areas worked on this season, six have been completed, including: Willow/Chestnut; Allegan/Chestnut; Center/Cedar/May; Saginaw; Cooper/Poxson and Creston/Howe. Work will continue in 2010 for project areas on Mt. Hope and Oakland.

Swish the Fish, the mascot of the CSO Control Program and the City's other environmental initiatives, came to life with a full-size costume and made more than 30 special appearances at City and community events throughout the season to improve awareness and understanding of the CSO Control Program's importance among residents. He also started a Swish Bucks initiative that lent support to downtown businesses in construction areas.

The City also invested $3 million into the Neighborhood Infrastructure Improvement Program (NIIP), a program that focuses on maintaining neighborhood streets. This year, the program resurfaced and otherwise improved more than seven miles of neighborhood streets throughout the city.

An additional $2.3 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds has enabled the City to make improvements on Michigan Avenue and Washington Avenue this year, with improvements on sections of Edgewood Boulevard and Holmes Road scheduled to kick off the 2010 construction season — a total of 3.6 miles of improved roadways.

Other construction projects add an additional seven miles of improvements including the replacement of the road on the Aurelius Road Bridge, improvements along Edgewood Boulevard and Dunckel Road, and sidewalk repairs.

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