Southbound I-75 reopens near I-96 to Springwells

All southbound I-75 lanes reopened Friday night from I-96 through Southwest Detroit and toward Downriver, MDOT announced.

All northbound I-75 lanes were also reopened. The closure was part of the Rouge River Bridge project that started back in 2017. A local lane opened in Nov. 2018. 

I-75 Rouge River Bridge project details:

• Removing and replacing all concrete on the I-75 Rouge River bridge, the largest concrete surface in Michigan (approximately 20 football fields).
• Replacing concrete on the I-75 bridge at Fort Street, south of Springwells Road.
• Removing the Goddard Street bridge over I-75 and replacing it with two smaller bridges.
• Repairing 13 other bridges along I-75 through the Downriver communities.
• Adding intelligent transportation system (ITS) equipment. ITS includes a combination of electronic, telecommunication and information technology MDOT uses to improve safety and travel times on the transportation system.

MDOT: Strategic rehab of bridge over 40 years has saved $250 million

The I-75 Rouge River bridge is 49 years old. The 1.63-mile bridge is about 20 football fields in length, MDOT said, and it carries about 37 million vehicles each year. You may be wondering why MDOT hasn't decided to replace the entire structure. That would cost too much, the department said. 

"A new bridge costs nearly $400 million. By strategically rehabilitating the bridge over the past 40 years Michigan has saved $250 million."