City of Adrian and Lenawee Now - S. Main Street Pedestrian Tunnel under M-52

Construction on the Adrian Pedestrian Tunnel had some slow progress this week due to the Michigan March weather. However, the project does remain on schedule.

Progress Report

• Drainage pipe installed from the outlet installed last week up towards the base of the tunnel
• Coordination with other utilities for any potential conflicts with construction

Upcoming Work Planned for Next Few Weeks:

• Continue storm sewer installation up to the tunnel, including backfilling over the new storm sewer
• Water main relocation will begin later in the week of March 16
• Traffic shifts that we warned about last week will likely take place later next week – reminder with map shown again
• Traffic will be impacted with lane shifts on M-52
  • Traffic at the tunnel location will be reduced to one lane in each direction, with all traffic getting shifted to the current northbound lanes.  This will only be between the Railroad crossing and Cross Street. M-52 will remain open to all traffic, just reduced to one lane in each direction and shifted to the east side of the road.
• The first section of the precast tunnel will be delivered and installed

Traffic shift to occur later next week:

A photo from Mannik & Smith Group of the progress from this past week:

Construction continued on the Adrian Pedestrian Tunnel this past week. As the weather slowly improves, construction progress will begin to speed up over the next month. The project remains on schedule.

Progress Report

• Mass excavation continues on the west side of M-52 with soil removal and preparation for the new tunnel and storm drainage
• Layout and staking of the proposed drainage system took place

Upcoming Work Planned for Next Few Weeks:

• New drain outlet and pipe installation will begin on Monday
• Preparation for water main relocation
• No lanes of traffic on M-52 are anticipated to be affected until 2^nd week of March

Some photos from Mannik & Smith Group of the progress from this past week:

A little more progress on the Adrian Pedestrian Tunnel construction site this past week. It was slowed a little bit by the mud and the frost coming out of the ground.  However, the project remains on schedule.

Progress Report

• Mass excavation continues on the west side of M-52 with soil removal and preparation for the new tunnel and storm drainage
• Work took place around existing and old abandoned utilities

Upcoming Work Planned for Next Few Weeks:

• Additional soil removal and excavation
• Preparation for new drain installation and outlet installation
• Preparation for water main relocation
• No lanes of traffic on M-52 are anticipated to be affected until 2^nd week of March

Some aerial shots of the work progress to date:

Work continued at the Adrian Pedestrian Tunnel construction site this past week. The project remains on schedule.

Progress Report

• Mass excavation continues on the west side of M-52 with soil removal and preparation for the new tunnel and storm drainage
• Work took place around existing and old abandoned utilities

Upcoming Work Planned for Next Week:

• Additional soil removal and excavation
• Preparation for new drain installation
• No lanes of traffic on M-52 are anticipated to be affected until early March

Just a couple of quick photos of the site from this week:

Work resumed at the Adrian Pedestrian Tunnel construction site this past week. The project remains on schedule.

Progress Report

• Mass excavation of the site on the west side with a lot of soil removal to get down to the new tunnel and new storm drainage occurred this past week

Upcoming Work Planned for Next Week:

• Old utility poles will be removed
• Additional soil removal and excavation
• Preparation for new drain installation
• No lanes of traffic on M-52 are anticipated to be affected until early March

Just a couple of quick photos of the site from this week:

No work took place at the Adrian Pedestrian Tunnel construction site this past week due to the weather, but work is planned to resume next Monday, February 2, 2026. The work still remains on schedule.

Progress Report

• Dewatering continues during the construction downtime to ensure dry excavation

Upcoming Work Planned for Next Week:

• Old utility poles will be removed
• Additional topsoil stripping and stockpiling
• Excavation on the west side will begin for drain installation
• No lanes of traffic on M-52 are anticipated to be affected until late February

Unfortunately, our Michigan Winter has returned, and progress slowed on the construction work at the pedestrian tunnel site this week. Due to the extreme cold temperatures, no work is planned until the first week of February (weather permitting). This will not impact the overall construction schedule.

Progress Report

• Topsoil stripping began, and stockpiling off-site has occurred
• Dewatering continues during the construction downtime to ensure dry excavation

Upcoming Work Planned for Next Week:

• Old utility poles will be removed
• Excavation on the west side will begin for drain installation
• No lanes of traffic on M-52 are anticipated to be affected until late February

Recent construction photos from the site:

Site work has begun on the new pedestrian tunnel crossing under M-52 (South Main Street) in the City of Adrian.  Work began this past Monday.  Construction is scheduled to be completed before Labor Day 2026. Lane closures may begin later next month, in mid to late February, on M-52. We will keep everyone as informed as possible with these weekly updates.

Progress Report

• Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Measures were installed
• The Kiwanis Trail was closed at Merrick Street and at Winter Street
• Tree stumps were pulled on the west side of the road and hauled off-site
• Dewatering wells were installed on the west side and activated

Upcoming Work Planned for Next Week:

• Additional dewatering wells will be installed on the east side
• Old utility poles will be removed
• Excavation on the west side will begin for drain installation
• No lanes of traffic on M-52 are anticipated to be affected until mid-February

Recent construction photos from the site courtesy of Mannik Smith Group:

We are preparing to begin construction on the much-anticipated Pedestrian Tunnel under M-52 (South Main Street) in the City of Adrian for the Kiwanis Trail.  This tunnel will be just north of West Beecher Street and the rail crossing, and south of Cross Street.

This tunnel has been discussed and planned for nearly a decade, and much work has been done over the last few years with design and property acquisition to make this tunnel a reality.  There are a lot of stakeholders to thank for getting to this point, from community members, local, state, and federal agencies, public and private utilities, local contractors, and many more.  We are excited to work with the Adrian Community to see this project move forward.

Besides the planning and design that have been completed to date, some utilities have been relocated already, trees have been removed, and some equipment has been delivered to the site.

Upcoming Work Planned for Next Week:

1. Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Measures will be installed
2. Groundwater dewatering will be installed, and operations will begin
3. The trail will be closed near Riverside Park and on the west side of M-52
4. Work will begin on the west side of M-52 with stump removal, topsoil removal, and stockpiling
5. Earthwork operations will begin with excavation later in the week to begin digging down
6. No lanes of traffic on M-52 are anticipated to be affected until mid-February