U.S. 41 to receive safety makeover through Tech campus

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HOUGHTON - In an effort to make Michigan Technological University a safer place for the MTU community, the Michigan Department of Transportation is widening U.S. 41 in front of Wadsworth and McNair Halls. This will make the road 30 to 40 feet wider, allowing 30-foot wide boulevards to be installed in the middle of U.S. 41.

"The reason we're doing it is to try to create a safer interaction between pedestrians and the highway traffic," Michigan Tech Grounds Manager Andrew Niemi said.

Currently, pedestrians must look both ways on the often busy highway before crossing. With the new 30-foot boulevard in the middle, they will only need to look one way at a time.

This isn't anything new for Michigan Tech, as they installed one helping pedestrians cross from the west end of Wadsworth to Fisher Hall in 2006, Niemi said.

"That crosswalk worked out better than anybody had envisioned," he added. "So we're going to do the same thing."

This work has been four years in the making, as both Michigan Tech and MDOT have been working to find a good solution to the long-time problem. Ideas such as a tunnel, bridge or raised road were brought up, but in the end the boulevards were named as the best solution.

"It all kept coming back to 'What are people going to use?'" Niemi said. "We're hoping 99 percent of the people will use the crosswalk."

According to Niemi, safety was always the No. 1 priority in the project and while money did have an impact, he seemed happy with the decision.

"This seems to be the most cost-effective and practical," he said.

The work will begin May 4, just two days after the spring graduation ceremony. The project will begin with some work on Cliff Drive before they detour U.S. 41 onto Cliff Drive, which will happen sometime later in May.

Everything will be said and done Aug. 21, the Friday before orientation welcomes the newest class of freshmen.

Michael H. Babcock can be reached at mbabcock@mininggazette.com.