CATA bus riders express frustration over construction detours and delayed arrival times. Construction on the Farm Lane bridge has caused significant detours for Capitol Area Transportation Authority buses that operate on campus.
The CATA bus system is a vital part of Michigan State’s public transportation ecosystem and remains a popular choice for many MSU students, such as material science and engineering senior Imge Aktugan.
While some students prefer to drive their own car on campus and are prepared to handle any problems that come with it, Aktugan enjoys leaving her vehicle at home and not having to fight for parking space on campus. However, while Aktugan has a bus stop right outside her apartment, not every student has the option of driving.
Many freshmen, or students under 28 credits, are not eligible to have a car on campus, leaving the buses, friends, or ride-sharing apps as their only options.
“It’s either the bus or I’m walking,” says freshman animal science major David Ehlert. Ehlert doesn’t have a car on campus and is living in the dorms, leaving the buses as his primary mode of transportation.
A $44 million construction project has recently begun on the Farm Lane bridge as MSU plans to update the crossing. The project will create a new pedestrian crossing to the east, demolish and rebuild the current bridge, reroute utilities and change the layout of nearby roads.
This bridge is in the center of campus and is used by five of the eight campus routes to cross the Red Cedar River. Routes 31, 32, 33, 34 and 36 will be rerouted through Bogue Street until the bridge reopens for vehicle traffic.
Detoured routes still service affected bus stops when possible, but some routes have had to drop service to locations they cannot reach. This forces students to move to another route they wouldn’t typically use.
This has had a noticeable effect on bus capacity as students have voiced dissatisfaction. “I don’t like that recently they’re really full,” said Ehlert. While he likes the free transportation and range of destinations, he does not enjoy fighting for seating or being packed into a bus.
These detours also affect the arrival times of buses and cause delays. New routes mean new stops, more riders, and longer wait times along heavily affected routes.
While new stops, cramped riding experiences and delayed arrival times can make many want to avoid the bus, human biology junior A’nya Crusoe still uses the Michigan Ave. bus stop whenever she needs to go to the business library.
“Sometimes the [transit app] can be wrong, but most of the time, it can be more convenient,” said Crusoe.
Construction on the bridge is scheduled to last until June of this year. This means that the detours will continue through the end of the spring semester.
While subject to delays and overcrowding, the bus system is still an important public transportation option for MSU’s students and faculty. Offering air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter, the buses are still a comfortable and free transportation option.