KALAMAZOO, MI — The Kalamazoo City Commission has approved a contract for about $6.5 million to make improvements to Cork Street. Plans include changing the configuration to be more pedestrian friendly and increase safety for pedestrians and vehicles, by adding two bicycle lanes and removing two lanes for vehicle traffic.

The project puts Cork Street on a “road diet," re-configured with one vehicle lane going in each direction, a continuous center turn lane, and one bicycle lane in each direction.

Work will primarily take place between Sprinkle Road and Lovers Lane and includes a full reconstruction of the street, as well as sidewalk repair, street resurfacing, pavement repair at the railroad crossing and a new water main on Cork Street, according to project information posted online by the city. The project also includes replacing lead service lines in the area.

The city commission approved a $6,547,400 construction contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation for the Cork Street Improvement Project during its Monday, Sept. 16, meeting.

The goal of the street redesign is to improve vehicular and pedestrian safety while offering a balance of travel options. Project information presented to city officials states three lane roads are easier for pedestrians to cross than four-lane roads, and that the continuous center turn lane is meant to prevent vehicle backups as drivers slow and stop to make left turns.

The continuous center turn lane is meant to prevent vehicular backups as drivers make left turns, according to project information.

Broken sidewalks will be repaired and curb ramps will be updated to comply with American Disability Acts (ADA) standards, according to information about the project posted on the city’s web site. A “striped and signed” bicycle lane is meant to provide an improved route for bicyclists.

The project aligns with city goals to achieve “complete streets,” the city said, and expands the local bicycle network and improves pedestrian and vehicular safety.

Traffic will be able to travel along Cork Street throughout the project, Public Services Director James Baker said, except during total closures for culvert and railroad crossing replacements.

Road diets also help address speeding, Baker said.

“Let’s be honest, if there are no lane restrictions and the guy in front of me is going slower that I want to go, I’m just going to pass him,” Baker said.

The new design with a single lane of travel in either direction make it so vehicles cannot pass one another. Despite the change, traffic should flow like it does now on the road, Baker said.

“We’ll be able to move the same volume of vehicles and we’ll do it in a safer way,” he said.

The changes to Cork Street aim to reduce the number of severe crashes, Baker said. There are no plans to change the speed limit along the route. Currently, speed limits range from 30-40 mph along the section of Cork Street.

Another expected benefit of the work, which includes the installation of a new water main pipe, is the reduced risk of that main breaking, Baker said.

The new pipe will be larger than the current pipe, Baker said, and is made of a more ductile type of material designed to better withstand pressures from the earth surrounding the pipe and the water inside. The current pipe is from the 1930s, he said.

The Cork Street reconstruction effort is a “huge project" for the city, Baker said.

City staff is meeting with the contractor, and some of the work may begin this fall, he said. Much of the major work, including the water main and culvert replacements, will most likely begin in 2020.