LANSING, Mich. (June 17, 2025) — As construction season heats up in Lansing, one of the city’s most extensive infrastructure projects—the Michigan Avenue reconstruction—is pushing forward through its fourth phase. The roadwork, which began in April 2024, has posed challenges for nearby businesses, but local entrepreneurs are finding creative ways to remain open and connected to the community.

The project is expected to continue through the summer, with completion anticipated by fall. While detours and barriers have disrupted daily operations, some businesses have embraced the opportunity to support each other.

“We're planning to switch to the next phase right around the 4th of July and maybe a little before that, maybe a little after, and we have 2 more phases this year, so we'll continue towards the west,” said Kilpatrick, a city official overseeing the project.

Located between downtown and East Lansing, The Swap Meet is one business that has remained open throughout the disruption. Selling vintage and modern gaming systems, the store continues to draw in regulars and curious newcomers alike.

“We've been here for 13 years now, and it's a great location because we're between downtown and East Lansing,” said Chad Hester, a longtime employee at The Swap Meet. “We have a lot of East Lansing customers and students and alumni coming to town to visit, and then they just want to come to Lansing and see what's going on here.”

To make sure customers know they’re still open despite the construction outside, Hester and others have taken a direct approach.

“The easy answer is just keeping the door physically open so people can see that we're open. Open sign on, everything like that. Just when customers see that open door, they know we're here,” he said.

The city has confirmed that the Michigan Avenue reconstruction remains on track to wrap up by the end of fall. However, another downtown infrastructure project may follow.

“That is much smaller, and it might be reconfiguring or putting in some medians or pedestrian crossings, much less disruptive, but that will probably be done under traffic whenever we do that project,” Kilpatrick added.

In the meantime, business owners along the avenue are collaborating to help one another get through the final stages of the construction timeline.

“We all know, hey, this part of the street is going be down, can I use your parking lot? Just communicating so that we can all survive this together,” said Hester.

As roadwork continues, Lansing’s Michigan Avenue corridor remains a model of local resilience, cooperation, and adaptability in the face of major urban upgrades.

Originally reported by Asya Lawrence in Fox 47 News.