Why the historic Michigan State University Farm Lane bridge is headed to the scrap pile

EAST LANSING — Work is underway to rebuild one of Michigan State University’s busiest bridges, an effort that will increase the structure's capacity, and improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

The Farm Lane bridge, between Shaw Lane and Auditorium Road, is undergoing the first phase of a year-long, $48 million project planners say will replace the structure, rebuild the road and add bike lanes. In addition, workers are adding a new pedestrian bridge a few yards to the west of the structure that, on an average class day, serves about 7,000 pedestrians and 12,000 vehicles.

The first phases of the project are set to be complete by the time most university students move in Aug. 22. The bridge will remain open to pedestrians and bicyclists throughout the summer, though they may experience some detours.

Once students leave for end-of-the-semester break, the road will close through the spring 2024 semester while the bridge itself is demolished and rebuilt from the ground up.

Fred Woodhams, communications manager for MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilities, said the project will substantially upgrade the nearly 90-year-old bridge.

“We know that this has been a large inconvenience for everyone who's been visiting campus over the summer, but it is necessary that the bridge be fully replaced to ensure that it can be used for many decades in the future,” he said.

The bridge's capacity has been reduced for safety reasons. Following a 2021 inspection, northbound traffic was shifted to the middle lane and maximum weight limits were reduced.

"It has deteriorated to an extent that reconstruction is necessary to ensure campus' main river crossing remains safe to use," Woodhams said. "If bridge load limits were reduced much further, large commercial trucks like fire trucks, garbage trucks and snow plows might not be able to use the bridge."

Loaded tractor-trailers already are prohibited from using the bridge.

Woodhams said the bridge is the only river crossing on campus that is above the 100-year-floodplain, meaning it serves as a crucial means of transport across the Red Cedar in the case of an extreme flood.

In addition to replacing the bridge, Woodhams said the project will add a barrier-free path to the bank of the Red Cedar River and provide entry to The Rock, a campus monument found at the northeast corner of the bridge.

Along with allowing more and heavier traffic, the new bridge will provide infrastructure for increased electricity distribution to north campus, a fiber optic communication duct that will provide faster data transfer, and a steam main that is not susceptible to flooding.

Contact Sheldon Krause at skrause@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @sheldonjkrause.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU begins $48 million project to rebuild Farm Lane bridge over Red Cedar