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MLK Intersection Partial Closure as Part of CSO Control Program

St. Lawrence and Westside Festival Still Accessible for Area Residents and Attendees

July 14, 2010

Lansing ----- Always working toward a cleaner, greener Lansing, the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Program's environmental project is making head way with the next phase of work beginning Monday, July 19, at the intersection of Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard and Saginaw Avenue.

The MLK-Saginaw intersection partial closure marks a major milestone in the project area 015N (bounded by Cross Street, Grand Avenue, Oakland Avenue, Maple Street, Walnut Street, State Street and Knollwood Avenue).

The intersection will be closed to north and south bound traffic but one lane of eastbound traffic on Saginaw will be maintained at all times. Businesses on Saginaw will remain open and are easily accessible. Alternative access routes will be available throughout the project. The improvements to this intersection are currently scheduled to complete by Labor Day.

"The CSO Control Program is not a quick-fix project. We must ensure that these projects are being done efficiently and correctly the first time. We understand closures like the MLK-Saginaw intersection are an inconvenience, but it's important to remember the long-term positive impact the CSO work is doing," said Chad Gamble, P.E., director of Public Service for the City of Lansing.

Access to Sparrow Hospital's St. Lawrence campus will continue throughout this phase of the CSO Control Program work. Way finding signs for emergency traffic have been and will continue to be posted.

The CSO-related closures will not interfere with the upcoming Westside Summer Festival on Saturday, July 24. North bound MLK traffic to the festival should follow the posted detour route for access to the neighborhoods north of Oakland for parking. Both Princeton and Chicago streets, between Saginaw and Oakland, will be open for traffic and parking needs. Festival goers can easily and conveniently walk from these neighborhood access points. The MLK-Saginaw intersection closure should not deter attendees.

"We are doing this for the betterment and future of our city's waterways. There might be closures, but we are ensuring accessibility through alternative routes," added Gamble.

The CSO Control Program is a 30-year initiative to separate the City of Lansing's outdated single-pipeline sewer system into a dual-pipeline system so sewage and runoff are carried separately. This work has already dramatically reduced sewage overflows in completed project areas - as much as 952.1 million fewer gallons of sewage overflow hit Lansing's rivers each year as a result.

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