Diane Cross, a Public Information Officer with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), provided Local 4 with insights into the extensive I-696 project that will impact drivers starting Monday.
The project will detour all eastbound traffic on I-696 onto a 25-mile route through southbound M-10 into Detroit, eastbound M-8, and back north on I-75 to continue eastbound on I-696.
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Cross said the detour, which resembles a very big U-shape, is about 25 miles long.
“Now you wonder, why in the world would we do that? Well, first of all, our state roads are I, M, and US roads. So we need to keep our traffic detoured onto other freeway roads and other state roadways, and for the kind of capacity that 696 has, which could be close to 100,000 drivers a day, that we need to detour.
You don’t want that on your local roads, so we are detouring it to other freeways. But the thing is, drivers can drive on any road they want, as long as you’re legally allowed to drive your vehicle, you can drive on pretty much anything other than a private road.
So we can expect we’re going to see a lot of heavier traffic on the local roads in Oakland County for anyone going eastbound for the next two years.”
MDOT Public Information Officer Diane Cross
Cross said that on Monday (March 3), Metro Detroiter’s morning commutes would encounter congestion, with many drivers getting turned around.
However, she anticipates that, eventually, people will find the best route based on their needs.
She also advised drivers to leave early and explore alternative routes as they adjust to the changes.
“From having done so many of these big projects, it takes two to three weeks before things kind of settle down. We’re doing this Saturday morning, so we don’t have work traffic yet, right?
So Saturday and Sunday, we’re going to just have a smaller amount of traffic using M-10 or using some of the mile roads, but Monday morning, that’s the day that everybody needs to plan to leave super early, either to take our detour and even if you don’t use 696 so you’re like, ‘What do I need to worry about that for?’
If you use any eastbound road in Oakland County, you’re going to see heavier traffic, which then may make you late."
MDOT Public Information Officer Diane Cross
Cross advises drivers to leave early Monday morning and then Tuesday morning. They can try an alternate route on Monday and then another route on Wednesday to find their groove.
“It takes a couple of weeks until people have tried all their different options, and then they settle into a routine. They still don’t like it, but now they know what they need to do in order to get where they need to go for eastbound drivers,” Cross said.
The need for the project stems from the aging infrastructure of I-696. Drivers feel it’s fine versus what engineers who studied the life span of the concrete and know what’s just around the corner that it is ready to crumble like what occurred in Macomb County about seven years ago.
“We rebuilt that portion of 696 because we just had chunks of concrete coming out. We’ve just rebuilt the last two years the west end of the project from 275 to Lasher.
It had been crumbling for years, and we just kept putting band-aids on it, just doing repairs. This stretch is ready to reach that point.
And the most important part is we have the funding right now from the feds, some from the state, and we all know, we don’t know if we’re going to have road funding. We have no idea what the future holds with this, but the road needs it. We’ve got the money. This is the time to do it."
MDOT Public Information Officer Diane Cross
MDOT says the detours will cause a rough couple of years, but once the project is concluded, drivers across SE Michigan will see a rebuilt I-696 from I-94 to I-275 over the course of a decade.
Cross said the finished product would say a lot about how important the project is for the economy. She said it’s a short-term pain for a long-term gain.
Construction will focus on the stretch from M-10 to I-75, which passes through Southfield, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, and Royal Oak.
Without the project, the road would continue deteriorating, leading to more potholes and potential closures.
“From M-10 to 75 through Southfield, Oak Park, the Pleasant Ridge area, Royal Oak two. We start to have more potholes. It starts to crumble.
We have crews out there filling potholes, or we start doing weekend work where we cut out chunks and replace them with other concrete to fill in that hole. It starts getting that quilt look of all the places that we have to do the patching.
And then, at some point, you reach where you just can’t patch anymore. There’s just too many holes. There’s not enough substructure that is as safe to hold up the roadway, and it just kind of deteriorates, and then we have to close the road because you can’t drive it, or we close the road to fix it, and funding doesn’t wait until you’re ready to use it."
MDOT Public Information Officer Diane Cross
Cross said they could have continued their patchwork process, and the city could have kept the money and used it for another project.
But with that process, the money would’ve been gone, and the roads would have gotten a lifespan of a few more years before it all started crumbling.
“If we don’t use that money, we lose that money. So the road is in the condition. We’ve got the money. This is the time we have to do it,” Cross said.
The project will detour eastbound traffic for two years, while westbound traffic will remain open with minor lane reductions.
The decision to detour eastbound traffic was based on the capacity of existing detour routes and the need to minimize disruption.
On Monday morning (March 3), crews will begin closing lanes and ramps on I-696.
Drivers should expect closures throughout the morning, with the freeway fully closed to eastbound traffic by noon.
“We detour the eastbound side; come next year, in 2026, we still let westbound drivers go.
We just shift them onto the new pavement. We still keep detouring eastbound, and part of that is because 696, where we’re standing nearby right now, the exit ramp to M-10 has two lanes open, so it can handle more quantity.
Westbound, the only detour would be to go north on 75, and it’s only a one-lane ramp, and it would be a lot harder and take longer to detour that traffic up to maybe M-59 and then head west over to maybe Telegraph or something."
MDOT Public Information Officer Diane Cross
While the project involves a long detour, drivers will have to consider the big picture. Potentially, 100,000 drivers a day would need to detour to another route set by MDOT.
Cross said they got to use our other state roadways. And so that’s some of the decisions, the thoughts behind the decision-making regarding what they plan to do.
She emphasized the importance of planning ahead and using resources like michigan.gov/drive to stay informed about construction and detours.
“This is going to catch a lot of people by surprise. As much as we’ve talked about it until they actually drive it, they may not have paid any attention to the story.
So Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, maybe even that whole first week is going to be a pretty rough one, as every morning.
So let’s say eastbound you have to drive Monday morning to get to daycare on time. You may be late if you don’t plan to leave super early, and again, even if you’re not affected by the freeway, remember that you’re going to have heavier traffic on your local roads.”
MDOT Public Information Officer Diane Cross
The project also includes rebuilding the Church Street Plaza, addressing icicle problems, and ensuring pedestrian access for the Metro Detroit community. Public meetings have been held to gather community input and address concerns.
For those wondering about service drives, Cross confirmed that they will remain open, although they may not provide continuous routes.
Drivers from western Wayne County will need to plan their routes carefully, considering the increased traffic on major roads like Telegraph Road and M-5.
Cross highlighted the abundance of freeway options in Metro Detroit, encouraging drivers to explore different routes to adapt to the changes.
“You’re going to be forced to find new ways to get to work or school,” Cross said.
MDOT Public Information Officer Diane Cross talks I-696 project
