DETROIT – Detroit is preparing to be in the national spotlight for the 2024 NFL Draft.
The city is leaving no stone unturned for the hundreds of thousands of tourists the draft is expected to draw.
And as preparations shift into high gear, there are more road closures.
“Torture” is how Letitia Grool described her morning drive downtown after Phase 3 road closures began at midnight.
And this is the biggest phase yet.
The following Phase Three closures will last until 5 a.m. on Monday, May 6:
- Southbound M-10 exit to Jefferson Avenue downtown will be closed. Exits 1A (West Jefferson Avenue) and 1B (Larned Street) will remain open.
- Westbound Jefferson Avenue from Beaubien Street to Washington Boulevard.
- Eastbound Jefferson Avenue from Washington Boulevard to Randolph Street.
- Bates Street from Jefferson Avenue to Atwater Street.
- Atwater Street from Civic Center Drive to Bates Street.
- Southbound Brush Street between Larned Street and Jefferson Avenue.
- All tunnel traffic must use I-375 during the M-10/Jefferson Avenue closures.
- Windsor-bound traffic should use Jefferson Avenue to Randolph Street to access the tunnel.
This is in addition to the first two phases of closures which are still in effect.
“There’s a lot of Canadians that work in Detroit and go back to Windsor through the tunnel and I can’t even imagine what this is going to look like with only one lane coming this way,” said a commuter who preferred not to give his name.
So bottom line -- if you’re planning to spend any time downtown over the next few weeks - be prepared for delays.
“It’s only temporary so I just know to leave out earlier and I will be fine,” commuter Kristan Davis said.
Read more: More Detroit road closures for NFL Draft happening this week