Lansing City Council approves a $385 million light rail line connecting MSU's campus to downtown Lansing, promising 22-minute travel times and transformative development along Michigan Avenue.
The Lansing City Council voted 6-1 Thursday to approve the final alignment and funding agreement for a 4.8-mile light rail corridor linking the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing to downtown Lansing’s Washington Square, a project that regional planners say will reshape commuting patterns, reduce vehicle trips, and catalyze mixed-use development along one of Michigan’s most heavily traveled urban corridors.
The Capital Area Transit Authority’s proposed Green Line will run along Michigan Avenue with dedicated lanes separated from regular traffic, stopping at 11 stations between the MSU Union and downtown Lansing’s Convention Center. Project designers said travel times between the endpoints would be approximately 22 minutes at peak service, compared to 40 minutes or more during current rush hour conditions.
Total estimated project cost is $385 million, with funding drawn from a combination of federal Capital Investment Grants, Michigan Department of Transportation allocations, a regional transit millage approved by Ingham County voters in 2024, and a direct contribution from Michigan State University which will benefit significantly from improved campus connectivity.
“This is a generational investment in how the Capital Region moves,” said CATA CEO Sandy Draggoo. “We’ve been talking about this corridor for twenty years. Today we’re building it.”
The lone dissenting vote came from Council Member Peter Spadafore, who raised concerns about the impact of construction on Michigan Avenue small businesses during what is expected to be a 30-month build phase. The administration said a dedicated Business Impact Assistance Program with $4 million in support grants would be available to affected commercial tenants during construction.
Environmental analysis indicated the corridor would reduce annual vehicle miles traveled in the region by an estimated 12 million miles, cutting carbon emissions by more than 5,000 metric tons per year. The project also includes protected bike lanes and upgraded sidewalks along the full length of the route as part of a complete streets design framework.
Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2026, with an initial service target of late 2028. The line will eventually connect to a broader regional bus rapid transit network being developed across Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties.
