<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3F4p5X_0vmHxwB400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3F4p5X_0vmHxwB400" width="980" height="653" ><figcaption>Tommy McNeill</figcaption></figure><p>One of the most iconic structures of Grand Rapids' skylines (and the bane of many driver's existences during rush hour) is the 1.2-mile stretch of US-131 that goes across the Grand River and bends around the city locally known as the <b>S-Curve</b> because of its shape (no brainer).</p><p>As a 1999 baby, this version of the S-Curve is all I know. The S-Curve we have today is very different from how it was before it was reconstructed in 2000. However, today's design is thanks to an unexpected ally in the S-Curve project: <b>Grand Valley State University.</b></p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0g4f0q_0vmHxwB400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0g4f0q_0vmHxwB400" width="1600" height="1060" ><figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption></figure><h2>S-Curve Reconstruction</h2><p>Constructed in 1961, the S-Curve served Grand Rapids as one of the most heavily trafficked highways in the State, with <a href="https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/planworks/Reference/CaseStudy/23">an average daily traffic load of approximately 110,000 vehicles.</a></p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1mC3tL_0vmHxwB400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1mC3tL_0vmHxwB400" width="1800" height="1196" ><figcaption>Bill Phillips via MDOT</figcaption></figure><p>However, there were known issues with the freeway including the curve causing many accidents, short on-ramps, and a low speed limit that made rush hour a nightmare. Plus, by 2000, much of Grand Rapids had experienced a bit of a boom in growth that the S-curve did not account for, making it generally unfit for the area.</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3khFnX_0vmHxwB400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3khFnX_0vmHxwB400" width="1600" height="1067" ></figure><p>So when a major structural issue was discovered in 1998 that required emergency repairs, the City jumped at the opportunity <a href="https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/planworks/Reference/CaseStudy/23">to reconstruct the whole S-Curve</a> to bring it up with the times rather than performing a patch job. But there were a few issues the City needed to address, and <b>Grand Valley State University (GVSU)</b> had a big role to play in solving them.</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3QvLsU_0vmHxwB400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3QvLsU_0vmHxwB400" width="720" height="480" ><figcaption>GVSU via Facebook</figcaption></figure><h2>Grand Valley's Crucial Input</h2><p><b>GVSU's Downtown PEW Campus</b> was broken up by the S-Curve with buildings on both sides of the curve. When reconstruction talks were underway, GVSU consistently consulted with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to build a highway that didn't impede on GVSU any more than it already was.</p><p>GVSU provided crucial input throughout the development of the new S-Curve:</p><ul><li>Since most of the S-Curve was on university grounds, the university's <a href="https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/planworks/Reference/CaseStudy/23">contracting rules allowed it to contract faster than city or state agencies</a>, so work on the S-Curve was able to be accelerated (which was crucial considering how busy this highway was, and how impactful it was having it closed).</li><li><b>The University hired a consultant to design the S-Curve whose designs were chosen by MDOT.</b></li></ul><p>So if you're a fan of how the S-Curve looks and functions today, you have GVSU to thank for it. In total, the entire project took less than 2 years from when the issues were discovered. <a href="https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/planworks/Reference/CaseStudy/23">You can read about the entire reconstruction project here</a>.</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4ASdUQ_0vmHxwB400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4ASdUQ_0vmHxwB400" width="1225" height="722" ><figcaption>Google Earth</figcaption></figure><h2>ArtPrize 2021 Returns To Downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan on September 16th</h2><p>Photographs of past ArtPrize entries since 2009, in Grand Rapids, Michigan</p><h2>HOT ROD Drag Week at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan</h2><p>Highlights of the 2016 Hot Rod Drag Week events.</p></div></body>

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You Have Grand Valley State University To Thank For The S-Curve

One of the most iconic structures of Grand Rapids' skylines (and the bane of many driver's existences during rush hour) is the 1.2-mile stretch of US-131 that goes across the Grand River and bends around the city locally known as the S-Curve because of its shape (no brainer). As a...