It's 4:30 PM on a Thursday and traffic is moving well on Saginaw as it crosses over the Grand River.

That's in spite of construction on the bridge that's shutting down 2 of the street's 5 lanes right now. In a way, it's an early look at what the road's going to look like after MDOT rebuilds the bridge next year.

The projected $6.5 million construction project is expected to run from March until September, the third year in a row of construction along one of Lansing and Delta Township's major east-west arteries.

The bridge being rebuilt is on MDOT's list of bridges in poor condition in the state. It was built in 1928 and widened around 1955.

Part of the project includes narrowing Saginaw Street from 5 lanes to 4 from Washington Avenue to Cedar Street. That will allow for MDOT to widen the sidewalks by 2 feet and add 3 feet of shoulder to each side of the road.

Both MDOT and the city are comfortable shrinking the road won't cause extra traffic congestion. Traffic studies show that on average, 18,900 cars go through this section of road on a daily basis. That number is projected to rise to 20,900 by 2032.

Even with the projected increase, city transportation engineer Andy Kilpatrick says that amount of traffic can be handled in 3 lanes.

During next year's project, traffic will be detoured up Grand Avenue. Drivers will then cut across one lane of Oakland Avenue, which will be temporarily turned into a two-way street at its Grand River bridge, before turning onto Center Street.

Entering the construction area eastbound, lane closures will start happening at Walnut Street to try and divert traffic before it hits the detour at the bridge.

Lansing's River Trail will also get an overhaul as it crosses under the Saginaw bridge. The project will take the often-flooded boardwalk, turn it into a wider paved path higher up the bank with more clearance for anyone using the trail. MDOT will also add another section of trail on the west side of the river, where there currently isn't a path.