ADRIAN — Construction began today on the planned pedestrian tunnel underneath South Main Street in Adrian.
The tunnel will be part of the Kiwanis Trail, a 12.7-mile walking and biking trail that connects Adrian to Tecumseh. It will be located just north of the corner of South Main and Beecher streets, which according to police is Adrian’s most crash-prone intersection.
Over the course of the next month, drivers will see lane shifts along South Main Street, with traffic reduced to two lanes, one in each direction, on the east side of the roadway.
In April, plans call for one week of complete closure to bring the tunnel across the street and then shift traffic from the east side to the west side. Following this shift, traffic will be reduced on the west side of the roadway to one lane in each direction.
In the final phase, traffic going in both directions will be shifted to the center, with the outer lanes closed.
The estimated completion date is Labor Day of this year.
Work on the tunnel began after a $3.5 million appropriation for the project was included in the 2021-22 state budget.
“This project reflects a series of actions taken over multiple years through established public processes, and construction represents the final administrative step in implementing those decisions,” city administrator Chad Baugh said in a news release announcing the start of construction.
In 2022, city commissioners approved beginning the process of acquiring properties along South Main Street to make room for the tunnel. These acquisitions were completed during 2022 and 2023, and relocation assistance was provided to affected occupants as part of that process, Baugh said.
In 2023, the commission approved demolition of acquired structures, environmental remediation activities, and professional planning and engineering services related to the tunnel and its approach areas.
In late 2023 and mid-2024, the commission approved additional professional service agreements, demolition contracts, and grant-funded expenditures associated with the tunnel and related infrastructure. In April 2024, the commission authorized the city to enter into a maintenance and operation agreement with the Michigan Department of Transportation, establishing the framework for construction of a pedestrian culvert within MDOT right-of-way and defining long-term maintenance responsibilities following project completion.
The city commission also approved a framework to fund future maintenance through naming rights. Based on analysis by the project engineer, finance director and city administration, the amount necessary to adequately fund long-term tunnel maintenance was determined to be $168,000. A naming rights agreement was developed to establish a dedicated maintenance endowment, with all proceeds restricted solely to tunnel maintenance and any proposed name subject to city commission approval.
Throughout the development of the project, the city commission directed that construction-related costs be funded through external sources, including federal and state allocations and the MEDC Enhancement Grant administered by Lenawee Now. Consistent with that direction, no city general fund dollars have been committed to tunnel construction, Baugh said in the announcement. Long-term maintenance responsibilities are addressed through the MDOT agreement and the establishment of the dedicated maintenance endowment funded through approved naming rights.
The City of Adrian remains committed to transparency and clear communication regarding major public infrastructure projects and will continue to keep residents informed as the City Commission considers next steps.
