Drivers who regularly commute south on Main Street in Ann Arbor may want to find an alternate route come spring.
City officials have finalized a traffic plan that will go into effect when a portion of South Main Street outside the Big House is closed for four months, starting March 15. The plan is to maintain two lanes of northbound traffic and one lane of southbound traffic - meaning one less southbound lane for the daily rush-hour exodus.
"We could see some traffic backup for a short period of time until motorists get used to the idea that one of the lanes is closed, and people find alternative routes," said Homayoon Pirooz, manager of the city's project management unit. "With that scheme, I suppose traffic in the morning will not be impacted, and afternoon traffic will be heavier in that general area."
One lane on South Main Street will be closed for four months starting March 15 as the University of Michigan finishes brick work outside the Big House.
The extended lane closure comes as the University of Michigan puts the finishing touches on a $226 million renovation of its football stadium.
The city approved an application submitted on the university's behalf by the Barton Malow Co. to close the easternmost lane of Main Street between Synder and Keech - about a 1,000-foot stretch of public roadway just north of Stadium Boulevard.
The lane closure is intended to eliminate any hazards to passing vehicles while brick work on the 90-foot-high stadium wall running along the edge of Main Street is finished. The city is asking the university to complete the work in time to reopen all lanes of traffic for the four-day Ann Arbor Art Fairs in July.
Jim Kosteva, U-M's director of community relations, said he doesn't think the lane closure will be as big of a headache as some people may think.
"We are working in close cooperation with the city and their traffic engineers," he said. "We have had the lane closed on a temporary basis a couple of times throughout the construction of the stadium, and that has not presented an inordinate problem."
Kosteva said there will be ample notification and signage to give motorists a chance to look for alternative routes.
Pirooz said though it's technically one of the northbound lanes that will be closed, traffic is being shifted so that two northbound lanes will remain open, along with one southbound lane and a left-turn lane.
Because the street will not be completely closed in either direction, no official detour routes are being established. But Pirooz said he suspects many visitors to downtown may want to use South State Street to get to I-94 and other points south for a while.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.
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