Summer construction season is back in Michigan, and roads all around Metro Detroit will be affected.
As Michigan reopens and you head back to work, you’ll likely notice new construction projects underway.
“Metro Detroit is the oldest part of the state -- we’ve got the oldest freeways in the state,” said Diane Cross, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).
Because of the region’s old roads, many of the projects this summer are focused on completely rebuilding the roads. The massive undertaking has an upside, though: The complete rebuilds should last for decades.
“Because of the governor’s bonding initiative, we were able to do M-59; we were able to do I-75,” said MDOT spokesperson Rob Morosi. “Those were resurfacing jobs that, now, because of the bonding, we are able to completely rebuild them.”
The four-year I-275 construction project will include more than 60 bridge repairs. The work on I-275 is expected to begin after the Fourth of July, and will extend from the Monroe County line at Will Carleton to about Six Mile Road -- a 26-mile stretch -- officials said.
That stretch includes traffic heading in and out of the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, but officials say a route will always be open for airport traffic.
More: 4-year I-275 project starts this summer: What drivers need to know
Great progress is also being made on the I-75 revitalization project, as crews replace the southbound lanes from I-696 to Eight Mile Road.
“After the Fourth of July, we’ll redo the bridge over 11 Mile Road,” Morosi said. “We’ll have everything opened up by Thanksgiving, and then shut it down for the winter, and then come back in March and start on the section north of I-696 -- the northbound side -- rebuilding that.”
More: Overpass replacement to close 11 Mile Road in Madison Heights until Nov.
In Macomb County, Gratiot Avenue in Roseville is getting rebuilt between 11 Mile and Common roads. M-59 from Romeo Plank to Elizabeth Drive is also undergoing a full reconstruction that MDOT officials say will last until the fall of this year, before the construction moves from Elizabeth Road to I-94.
The busy construction summers are expected to continue each year. MDOT says that two-year projects to renovate I-96 and I-696 in Oakland County are coming within the next couple years.
More: Traffic news