Out-Of-Class #1: A Good (But Old) Example ...

... from a previous summer's class. Please note all information was gathered first-hand, including background. And even though the minimum number of interviews was three, here we did many more, creating a full, rich story:

Although summer is officially less than a week old, the Michigan tradition of seeing roads lined with orange barrels has been in full swing for months now in East Lansing. 

The multi-phase construction process taking place on a large portion of Grand River Avenue and Michigan Avenue, aims to resurface roads, improve sidewalks and improve traffic flow, but so far it seems to have excelled only in annoying residents and businesses alike.

Michigan Department of Transportation’s Communication Representative for the University Region, Kari Arend, said in a phone interview that the construction, which began in March, was taking place in multiple stages in order to minimize the impact on motorists and residents.

For residents like Michigan State University neuroscience major Laurel Domino, it has had the opposite effect.    

“So many roads are worked on at once and there's no way to know what roads get closed down next. As a result, it's really hard to plan a route and use the roads effectively,” said Domino in an email interview.

MSU journalism major Kellie Rowe expressed similar problems, despite attempting to reconfigure her schedule to accommodate the traffic delays.

“I have been late to work because of the construction, even when I try to leave much earlier than I need to, to be on time. Most of it is unforeseen and often times, I will be surprised by new construction. After one project ends, another begins,” Rowe said in an email interview.

The construction, which is not projected to be entirely finished until early October despite being ahead of schedule, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation, has not only been affecting residents, but businesses as well.

Starbucks, located at 1141 E. Grand River Ave. is one such business that has been disrupted by the on-going work, according to an employee. 

When work began on the sidewalk in front of Starbucks, Shift Supervisor Josh Edman said that it completely shut down their drive-thru for three days.

“During our peak business hours in the morning we can get 200 cars through the drive-thru in a two-hour period, and that was just gone. We went from having $1,500 in cash sales a day, to around $200-$400 during that period,” Edman said in a phone interview. 

Edman also noted that customers often seemed to be in more of a rush due to the construction.

“You get people who are like ‘I’d like to get a sandwich, but I’m running late for work, so just give me my coffee,’” said Edman in a phone interview. “It’s cutting directly into our business.”

Isaiah High, assistant manager of Little Caesars Pizza, located at 1203 E. Grand River Ave. reported a drop in sales as well, though less pronounced.

“Our goal during the summer is to do $1,200 per day, but since the construction started on the sidewalk out front we’ve been doing more like $900-$1,000 a day,” said High. 

High did say that he could see the need for the construction though, and thought it could even improve business once it was complete.

“I think students avoid this side of the street because there are stretches where there isn’t a defined sidewalk. I was almost hit by a car once because you’re essentially just walking through parking lots at some points…so maybe we’ll see more foot-traffic once there is an actual sidewalk,” High said. 

Steve Sawvel, co-general manager of Grand River Coffee, located further west than the businesses mentioned above, at 515 W. Grand River Ave., said he did not feel as though the construction had greatly impacted the shop’s sales. 

“We’ve seen maybe a 10 percent drop off in sales, but it really wasn’t that bad. The worst point was when they had Grand River closed at Michigan, but the customers who wanted to get here could and the parking lot always seemed to be full,” Sawvel said. 

Those who rely upon public transportation, like MSU graduate Dee Lloyd, have also been impinged upon by the road work.

“I live in West Circle and for a while, all the bus stops from Harrison to Abbot were shut down, so I had to walk to Bubble Island to get anywhere,” Lloyd said in an email interview.

Despite the hassle though, Lloyd believed the construction was already paying dividends.

“They are ahead of schedule and in addition to looking great, the roads feel great, too,” Lloyd said in an email interview. 

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SOURCE SHEET

Name: Josh Edman                         

Title: Shift Supervisor (Starbucks)

Phone: (517) 333-1532

Email: sideman@yahoo.com

Name: Isaiah High

Title: Assistant Manager (Little Caesars)

Phone: (517) 337-1631

Email: highisai@msu.edu

Name: Steve Sawvel

Title: Co-General manager (Grand River Coffee)

Phone: (517) 333-7090

Email: ssawvel@msn.com

Name: Kari Arend

Title: Communications Representative (MDOT)

Phone: (517) 750-0406

Email: ArendK@michigan.gov 

Name: Laurel Domino

Title: MSU student/ neuroscience major

Phone: (510) 734-7013

Email: dominola@msu.edu

SOURCE SHEET CONTINUED

Name: Dee Lloyd

Title: MSU graduate/jrn major

Email: lloyddev@msu.edu

Name: Kellie Rowe

Title: MSU student/ jrn major

Phone: (810) 516-2577

Email: rowekell@msu.edu