I-696 will be closed this weekend in Oakland County to prepare for a traffic shift which will have both directions of I-696 sharing the westbound side.

A big project to rebuild a busy portion of I-696 in Oakland County next year is ramping up, and you’ll notice it.

If you use I-275 in Metro Detroit, you’re going to want to take note -- a massive construction project is kicking off this summer, and it’ll continue through 2024.

Gretchen Whitmer revealed a new tool Michiganders can use to track road projects as construction continues throughout the state. “As we continue to invest in better roads and bridges under the Rebuilding Michigan program, this new dashboard will be important to ensure our efforts to fix the damn roads remain on time and on budget,” Whitmer said. “The Rebuilding Michigan plan is financed without an increase at the gas pump, and it’ll help jumpstart our economy by creating thousands of good-paying construction jobs. It allows MDOT to sell $3.5 billion in bonds to finance dozens of new and modified road construction projects, while accelerating many others, the state said. “The Rebuilding Michigan Program allows MDOT to completely rebuild some important freeways that we otherwise could only afford to resurface,” MDOT Director Paul C. Ajegba said.

The Michigan governor announced a list of 21 state highway road construction projects Tuesday that are planned for the 2021 season through the Rebuilding Michigan bonding program. Gretchen Whitmer’s office said these road projects (listed below) are a blend of those previously funded through the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) budget as well as several supported by the Rebuilding Michigan bonding program. The Rebuilding Michigan program was made possible when the State Transportation Commission (STC) in January 2020 authorized MDOT to issue $3.5 billion in bonds over four years to finance infrastructure improvements, under authority granted by the Michigan Constitution and Public Act 51 of 1951. “MDOT’s 2021 program includes rebuilding and resurfacing roughly 920 lane miles of state highways and freeways, and performing preventative maintenance on another 830 lane miles throughout Michigan,” said State Transportation Director Paul C. Ajegba. AdSo, in a month where we can have ten inches of snow and three inches of rain in a three-week span, potholes are thriving on Michigan roads.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer held a media roundtable Thursday morning to offer an update on her “Rebuilding Michigan” plan that she discussed in her 2020 State of the State address. On Wednesday night, Whitmer announced that Michigan will borrow $3.5 billion to rebuild the state’s deteriorating roads and bridges over a five-year period. This is after the Republican-led Legislature rejected her proposed gasoline tax hike. On Thursday, the State Transportation Commission authorized the sale of $3.5 billion in road and bridge-building bonds. Read more: Whitmer: ‘No more waiting’; Michigan to borrow $3.5B for roads