Non-essential City of Kalamazoo offices will be closed on Tuesday, December 24, and Wednesday, December 25 in observance of Christmas. Regular hours will resume on Thursday, December 26.
We're excited to share that Michikal St is back open to traffic. Please note that it is still one way for now. In the coming years, there will be additional work on Michikal to reroute Arcadia Creek and finish the southern portion of the street. It will eventually convert to two-way traffic after several other nearby projects are completed.
The first step to transform several downtown streets from one-way to two-way will start in 2024 with work on Michikal Street. It will undergo a partial width reconstruction this year with work focused on the northern lanes of the street. Construction is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 10. The road will be fully closed during work, which will be completed by November 1 this year.
Since the City was awarded a $38 million PROTECT Grant to reduce flooding along Arcadia Creek, the Michikal project will be completed in two parts. This year, work will focus on the northern part of the roadway, rebuilding the street and creating a new non-motorized path alongside it (on the north side). The sections of Eleanor, Elm, and Allen that run parallel to Michikal will be removed, with new direct connections created to Michikal. The Elm crossover will be removed.
The remaining portion of Michikal will be completed as part of the Arcadia Creek work, to avoid having to tear up a newly constructed road when that project gets started.There is no firm schedule for the work on Arcadia Creek yet, but we expect it will be within the next few years.
Michikal will initially reopen as a one-way street. It can't be converted to two-way until several other projects are completed and a safe two-way network can be established.
You can find more information on this project and the design and engagement process for Michikal and the connecting streets here. You can also read more about Streets for All, the initiative to make Kalamazoo's streets safer and more inviting for everyone, transforming our downtown to welcome more visitors, diners, shoppers, and businesses.