Phase one of construction on 48th Avenue is finally done. Roads are open, the dust has cleared and travel in this high-traffic area is easier than ever. But there is still something missing.

Allendale Township is currently in the process of finalizing plans for light installation down 48th Avenue and Pierce Street. The Lanthorn commends the township for advocating for a safer community, but we also take this progress with a grain of salt.

The process for the 48th Avenue remodel came with a lot of time, resources and inconvenience for students and community members that live around or travel on 48th Avenue.

Now that phase one of construction is complete, Lakers are bound to wonder: where is the lighting we were promised? Months after the construction started to inconvenience those closest to the project–the Grand Valley State University community–the additional lighting for students’ safety is nowhere to be found. Though the end result is a higher quality road for such a busy area, we can’t help but wonder how long this installation process will take.

Welcome Week has passed and we are well into the football season, bringing about heavy walking traffic from off-campus apartments to the football field area. Ideally, these lights would have been in place before the start of the school year. Students make up the vast majority of the traffic around the construction project on 48th Avenue, and Allendale Township and the Ottawa County Road Commission needs to keep its promises to students at GVSU for a well-lit, safe path home after a long day of classes and student organization events. While GVSU students may not be year-round residents of Allendale Township, their needs should be given a higher priority throughout this construction project.

We hope Allendale Township and those involved consider student safety as a top priority and take necessary precautions. Timeliness is of great concern when it comes to this installation process.

In terms of financial expenditures, the $25,000 it would take to bring lights to 48th Avenue is a small cost compared to the total amount that was spent on the entire overhaul. This money is a necessary cost to ensure the safety of GVSU students, especially considering the past record of car accidents and sexual assaults that have occurred on 48th Avenue, in part due to the lack of lighting on the street.

One of the main selling points of the overhaul on 48th Avenue was an increase in lighting for students on their way home, and it’s past time Laker students get what they were promised was worth putting up with the construction chaos for.