Construction on Stadium Drive starts Monday, disrupting traffic
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A road construction project on Stadium Drive that could disrupt traffic in Kalamazoo is scheduled to begin on Feb. 14.
City leaders said drivers should expect traffic delays on Stadium Drive between Howard and Lovell Streets. The city said at least one lane in each direction will remain open throughout the project.
Crews will start with replacing an aging culvert on Stadium Drive to prepare for a larger project that is set to begin in late spring or early summer.
"We're looking at ways to reduce and soften some of the impacts of traffic around the city in regards to pedestrian and non-motorized uses and still be able to move traffic," Kalamazoo Public Services Director James Baker said.
Baker said the major road resurfacing project will reconstruct the street, as well as create a multi-use path and add a landscaped median.
The project has been almost 10 years in the making. Baker said it is the start of multiple road projects the city hopes to complete by 2026.
"This kind of starts the work. There are many more projects that will come," he said. "Ultimately, converting Michigan Avenue and Kalamazoo Avenue over to two-way streets, so these are projects we're going to be engaged in from now until 2026."
Baker said construction on Stadium Drive should wrap up by November 2022.
He said the city received $5 million in funding for the project through grants and other city and state funds. However, bids for the project were around $4 million, meaning the city has $1 million left over that Baker said the city hopes to put toward future street projects.
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