LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Drivers can now legally drive north and south on two major streets in downtown Lansing.
Saturday, the city of Lansing uncovered stoplights and signs while crews repainted lanes on Grand and Capital between Oakland and Washtenaw.
The city had been planning for the conversion for several years, and people downtown Saturday welcomed the change.
“I’m glad they have fixed that for people like me,” said Tiffany Williams, who works on Washington Square.
She recently moved to Lansing and said learning the one-way streets downtown had been challenging.
“Sometimes you get down here, you get lost, you get turned. And when you have one-ways, you have to go all the way around,” said Williams.
Since the Grand and Capital were converted to two-way streets Saturday, Williams hopes this will help bring more people downtown.
“I think downtown Lansing is in for some great renovations and I’m all for it,” Williams said.
“That brings more traffic to Downtown Lansing. They are trying to reinvent downtown Lansing. And more people can come,” said Shebeeka Monique, who also works downtown.
And that’s what city leaders said they hope will happen.
“Trying to make it better to actually live and work downtown. So having the two-way traffic will make it easier to navigate for visitors,” said Andy Kilpatrick, Lansing’s public service director.
Kilpatrick said Lansing’s been planning this since Shiawassee, Ionia, and Washtenaw streets were converted in 1999.
The state gave Lansing $3.3 million to pay for the switch.
During the planning phases, many people told News 10 they thought there would be more crashes because of the conversion.
It is already causing confusion. A car was going south in the new northbound lanes of Capital shortly after the new lines were pained for several blocks.
“People who come down here often or are used to making certain moves with turns, just be cognizant of the fact there is now two-way traffic,” said Kilpatrick.
Pine, Walnut, and the rest of Grand and Capitol are expected to be converted this fall.
Two-way traffic on Ottawa and Allegan is expected to be next year.
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