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Photo by Editor-in-Chief Rob Alway
By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Construction of a $2.6 million pedestrian tunnel that will cross M 20 to Lewis Adventure Farm and Zoo began March 9, and the project is moving along according to schedule.
M 20/Stony Lake Road is closed to traffic between 68th and 72nd avenues in the vicinity of the construction site.
“We got the road closed down last Monday and started with pavement removals and earth excavation,” said Oceana County Road Commission County Highway Engineer Cole Shafer. “Hopefully some time this week if the weather lets up, we’re going to start working on getting the storm sewer pipe installed and finishing cutting the hole down the grade so we can get a start on our footings. Traffic control is going well. People are starting to get used to it now.”
Photo by Editor-in-Chief Rob Alway
The approximate 76-foot-long tunnel underneath M 20 will allow pedestrians and tram traffic to safely cross the road from the south parking lot to Lewis Adventure Farm and Zoo. “This is being constructed for public safety, so that you won’t have pedestrians or trams crossing on M 20, because it’s high-speed and there is quite a bit of traffic and semi traffic,” said OCRC Managing Director Mark Timmer.
Eventually, there will no longer be any parking for the venue on the north side of M 20.
M 20 is expected to be back open to traffic by the end of May, said Timmer. The tunnel would likely start being used by pedestrians around the end of August.
Photo by Editor-in-Chief Rob Alway
The tunnel will be approximately 24 feet wide. Pedestrians will use the west side of the tunnel, and tram traffic — tractors hauling farm visitors in trailers — will utilize the east side with a fence dividing the two lanes.
Plans had been in the works for the project several months prior to the tragic traffic death of Lewis farms owner Cindy Lewis last July. A traffic impact study of the area was completed two years ago, said Shafer.
The uniqueness of the project is not just limited to its design but also its construction. “It’s a precast concrete structure,” said Shafer, “meaning they’re building it off-site, but it’s getting shipped in and we assemble it in pieces.”
“There are probably only a handful of these under state trunklines in the state,” said Timmer. “And I don’t know of any that are built to handle tractor traffic,” added Shafer.
A special allocation obtained from the State of Michigan by Senator Jon Bumstead is funding the project. “It’s completely funded by a special assessment from Senator Jon Bumstead,” said Cole.
Photo by Editor-in-Chief Rob Alway
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