WHAT:
7th annual Drive Safely to Wayne State Campaign and Grand Opening of Anthony Wayne Drive Construction Project

WHEN:
Opening Ceremony with dignitaries, 1 p.m., Monday, Sept. 20
Activities continue through Tuesday, Sept. 21

WHERE:
Corner of Warren Avenue and Anthony Wayne Drive, adjacent to Wayne State's College of Engineering (5050 Anthony Wayne Drive)

MORE INFO:
Wayne State University is tackling the issue of pedestrian safety on its campus with major improvement plans that will be completed early this fall. The Anthony Wayne Drive (AWD) corridor, which houses dorms, classroom buildings and retail shops, is undergoing infrastructure improvements between Warren Avenue and Kirby Street that will make this busy area more friendly to non-motorized users.

The Grand Opening of the new Anthony Wayne Drive area will coincide this year with the annual "Drive Safely to Wayne State" campaign. The event, now in its seventh year, promotes safe driving and walking practices and is conducted by the Wayne State College of Engineering's Transportation Research Group (WSU-TRG).

The event will begin with the opening ceremony on Anthony Wayne Drive at 1 p.m., Monday, Sept. 20. Speakers at the opening ceremony - which will include elected officials, transportation experts and Wayne State officials - will highlight the event's second theme of distracted driving.

In addition to the opening ceremony, various activities, interactive demonstrations and exhibits will be set up along Anthony Wayne Drive through the end of the day on Tuesday, Sept. 21. Each one will focus on a particular traffic safety theme, including safety restraint use, pedestrian safety, and the consequences of drinking and driving. Interactive games and events will be showcased, such as child safety seat checks, demonstrations of the use of fatal vision goggles to simulate impaired driving, free samples of "mocktails" to promote alternatives to alcoholic beverages, and the display of several actual crash-involved vehicles. Daily prize drawings will be held for students, faculty, staff and the general public.

Drive Safely attendees also will be able to see the improvements to Anthony Wayne Drive, which include a reduction in the number of travel lanes from four to two in each direction. Additional improvements will include the installation of bike lanes in both directions, and aesthetic improvements, including benches, trees and ornamental lighting.

SPEAKERS:
• Allan Gilmour, president of WSU
• Saul Green, deputy mayor, City of Detroit
• Gregory Johnson, chief operations officer, Michigan Department of Transportation
• Terri Lynn Land, secretary of state
• Kirk Steudle, director, Michigan Department of Transportation
• Col. Eddie Washington, director, Michigan State Police

Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.