Construction season is in full swing, with miles of roads being rebuilt across Michigan. Commuters statewide are already facing travel delays.
Those traveling through East Lansing, however, may notice particularly difficult detours.
Eleven construction projects are underway on Michigan State University’s campus, leading to closures on Farm Lane, Red Cedar Road, Wilson Road and South Shaw Lane.
The detours, concentrated on the south and east sides of campus, have caused significant delays for faculty and summer students.
Gaile Griffore, a College of Engineering employee and longtime East Lansing resident, said the closures have been frustrating.
“I’ve been here a long time. I’ve experienced many summers of road closures,” Griffore said. “I think last summer, 2025, was the worst. This one is starting to look close to that.”
Many of the detours are connected to the Farm Lane Road and Utility Reconstruction project, which includes updating utilities and connecting new campus buildings to existing infrastructure.
The work may feel familiar to East Lansing residents, as Farm Lane underwent reconstruction less than two years ago.
Now, MSU’s Infrastructure Planning and Facilities team is tearing up Farm Lane to connect infrastructure lines to north campus, the MSU power plant and the in-progress West Regional Chilled Water Plant.
Work on the project began April 6 and is scheduled to wrap up by August 21, just before the start of the fall semester.
Despite the delays, Griffore hopes the inconvenience will pay off once construction is complete.
“I know this is all for the good, because ultimately we’ll have, I guess, new buildings that are useful,”Griffore said. “It’s quite annoying, but we just put up with it.”
But why are so many projects happening at once?
IPF spokesperson Erica Evans said much of the work is scheduled for the summer to limit disruption during the academic year.
“There’s less of an impact on students, faculty and staff,” Evans said. “We try to be kind and respectful while still moving the project forward. Sometimes, we need to do lane closures during the school year, but when it comes to major closures and lots of orange barrels, we do as little of that during fall and spring as possible.”
Evans acknowledged the annoyances this can create for those who remain on campus during the summer.
“It’s frustrating for those of us who are here over the summer,” Evans said. “It turns into orange cone season all over campus.”
In addition to road closures, bus service will also be limited this summer.
The Capital Area Transportation Authority has detoured several routes and fully closed stops along routes 18 and 33. CATA is encouraging riders to check schedules ahead of time to avoid delays.
MSU has also provided suggested alternate routes for drivers traveling through campus.