Downtown Kalamazoo’s Long Awaited Two-Way Traffic Overhaul Starts in July

Kalamazoo commuters, brace yourselves!

The long awaited conversion of Michigan Ave. and Kalamazoo Ave. in downtown Kalamazoo to two-way traffic is finally becoming reality. Here’s what this summer’s construction could mean for your commute:

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I was flipping through the City of Kalamazoo's most recent edition of the "City View" newsletter that appears in mailboxes every month. If you haven't flipped through it just yet, you're missing out on some major news. The May 2026 issue highlights the long anticipated two-way traffic overhaul that will reshape downtown Kalamazoo.

This is not a drill: construction is set to begin this summer.

The Streets for All downtown two-way network is moving forward, with the Kalamazoo Avenue project now out to bid. If the bid process is successful, construction is expected to begin shortly after the Fourth of July. 

The project will begin at the intersection of Kalamazoo Ave. and Park St., near the Park Trades and new Justice Center, then move east in one-block sections towards Pitcher St. (Bell's overflow parking lot.) Each section will be completed and reopened before crews move on to the next.

One lane of Kalamazoo Ave. will stay open throughout the project, except when work requires a full closure.

The Kalamazoo Ave project includes both visible, above-ground upgrades and major underground improvements...Work will progress as far eastward as is possible during the construction season. Any remaining work will be completed in 2027. --City of Kalamazoo, Streets For All

I hadn't heard an update on the project in awhile and I'll be honest, I had hoped everyone would just forget about it, but no such luck. I'm sure the Streets For All project will completely transform downtown Kalamazoo for the better, I'm just not emotionally prepared to deal with the headache of construction and detours. I know I'm not the only one.

If you haven’t already, check out the City’s Streets for All website. It’s actually pretty interesting how you can overlay existing intersections with what they’ll look like in the future. It's just going to be a major adjustment for those who have only known these roads to be one-way, like me.

Fun Fact: when I was learning to drive via Allegan schools, our final lesson before graduating Segment I was to drive in downtown Kalamazoo. I pulled onto what I thought was one of Kalamazoo's many one-ways, when in fact, it was two-way. My instructor freaked out and thought I was such a bad driver he made me take an extra session.

However, now that I've got 20 years of driving experience I know this to be true: it's not me, it's this city!