Mount Hope intersection upgrades considered

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The intersection where an MSU visiting scholar was killed in a vehicle-pedestrian accident Sunday will be considered for safety upgrades after police complete an investigation.

East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said police continue to investigate what caused the accident that killed Tao Li, 44, who had arrived from China earlier Sunday.

Li was walking north along Harrison Road when he was struck by a 1998 Ford Escort that was heading west on Mount Hope Road where it intersects with Harrison Road. Police do not expect charges will be filed against the driver. The case is being reviewed by the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office.

Wibert said the department will submit its report to the East Lansing Department of Public Works when it finishes investigating the accident. He said it is up to the department to make any changes to the intersection, including adding crosswalks or pedestrian signals.

“People comment that the area down there is dark, and I’ve been through there at night and I agree,” Wibert said. “Something definitely should be done.”

Todd Sneathen, director of the East Lansing Department of Public Works, said adding crosswalks and pedestrian signals would cost about $25,000. He said there are available funds in the city’s budget for a project of that size.

“We’ll make a decision first on possible upgrade and, if we decide to do one, we probably won’t do any work until spring or early summer,” Sneathen said. “After that, it wouldn’t take very long, several weeks at the most. Maybe not even that long.”

Li was leaving Spartan Village on Sunday to return to his Cherry Lane Apartments residence. He and two other pedestrians mistakenly walked south on Harrison Avenue, ended up south of Mount Hope Road and were turning around back toward Cherry Lane Apartments.

Spartan Village community director Kathy Forman declined to comment on whether she believed residents were concerned when walking along Mount Hope Road at night.

MSU police Assistant Chief Mike Rice said both campus and East Lansing police have the challenge of dealing with MSU’s suburban setting and urban traffic patterns.

Rice said the department studies different areas on campus to add speed tables that force drivers to slow down. However, adding these tables can change drainage patterns on roads, which can cause problems.

“We can’t just plop them down. We have to re-engineer the way water drains off the road way,” Rice said. “If meltwater runs off onto roads this time of year, it can pond up. If it ponds up it can turn to ice, and at this time of year that’s a dangerous thing.”

Rice said pedestrians cannot take their safety for granted when walking at night.

Although he said he believes MSU’s campus is generally well-lit, he said accidents 
happen when drivers and pedestrians aren’t careful or watching out for 
each other.
Mount hope intersection upgrades considered

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