Construction season is well underway in Michigan, with the Michigan Department of Transportation announcing multiple major road repairs this week.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer said that by the end of the summer, there will be fixes, repairs, or replacements of 24,500 lane miles of roads and 1,900 bridges
These projects stretch across the state. Some starting this week include:
- Grand River Avenue in Livingston County will be closed until August 28.
- Two bridge repairs will cause ramp closures on the westbound I-69 exit ramp to Miller Road over Swartz Creek and the M-54 (Dort Highway) bridge over Thread Creek in Genesee County until July 2.
- From 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., there will be only one lane each way for M-13 (also known as Euclid Avenue) until June 25.
- The right lane of southbound US-127 will be closed at the Bailey Drive overpass in Clare County until June 27.
- The M-99 ramp onto the eastbound I-96 will be closed in Ingham County for resurfacing until August 1.
"Across Michigan, we are moving dirt and fixing the damn roads to grow our economy, helping Michiganders go to work, drop their kids off at school and run errands safely," Whitmer said in a news release. She also said that none of the planned construction has increased taxes in Michigan. “This year, let's build on our momentum to pass a bipartisan local road funding plan so we can keep fixing our damn roads and creating good-paying, local jobs," she said.
The construction is aimed at fixing potholes and flooding problems on many Michigan highways to improve driving conditions.
Brendan Ryder, an assistant construction engineer at the Michigan Department of Transportation, has been working on the ramp resurfacing project in Ingham County.
“The road is in pretty rough condition; it hasn’t seen work in a while,” Ryder said. “We’re going to add a new storm sewer so we can help with the drainage problems out there. And then we’re resurfacing the road, so we’ll have a lot better driving surfaces.”
He said drivers should remain extra cautious around construction zones.
“We want to emphasize that drivers pay attention to work zones,” he said. “That's our job site, so we value people paying attention.”
For viewing any road construction in Michigan, the Department of Transportation has a website listing all closures across the state.
