Crews will be working in downtown Lansing over the next few days to convert the last remaining one-way streets to allow for traffic in both directions.
For decades, the capital city had a network of state-owned one-way roads near the state capitol designed for heavy traffic. In recent years, the city has reverted many of those corridors back to two-way streets.
City officials plan to complete the process this weekend with Ottawa and Allegan streets, transferring them from state to local control.
Lansing Public Service Director Andy Kilpatrick says the change should not have a major impact for drivers downtown.
“If they're used to driving down some of the lanes on the one way, just need to pay attention come Saturday afternoon, that those streets will be two way. So they'll be limited to one lane in each direction, and a center turn lane,” he said.
Crews will be adjusting traffic signals, grinding down existing pavement markings and repainting the roads this weekend to suit the new configuration.
“It will make it less confusing for people that don't come downtown very often, because obviously it's much easier to get around with a two way street and not have to worry about which way you're going,” Kilpatrick said.
If the city doesn’t see too much rain, the road conversion is expected to be completed Saturday afternoon. Kilpatrick said additional changes will be made next month to adjust how the roads connect with Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
He said the city may consider additional improvements at a later time, including resurfacing the streets as well as adding bike lanes.
