I-75 Construction In Oakland County Starts This Week

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI — Work is scheduled to begin on I-75 in Oakland County this week with a start date of Friday, March 8.

The Michigan Department of Transportation outlined the $224 million project which will involved reconstructing more than eight miles of pavement, improving 18 structures, upgrading drainage and other improvements.

Here’s a look at the plan:

Initially, construction impacts will begin at 7 p.m. on the southbound lanes from Adams Road to south of 13 Mile Road as crews begin preparations for a traffic shift. By Saturday morning, around-the-clock lane closures will be in place, with southbound traffic using the right lane and right shoulder as travel lanes. Due to this new configuration, Big Beaver and Rochester roads entrance ramps to southbound I-75, along with the southbound I-75 exit to eastbound 14 Mile Road, will be closed for motorist and construction worker safety. Northbound I-75 will have the left lane closed at Big Beaver Road and north of Coolidge Highway to complete temporary crossover construction.

By late March, it is expected that all traffic will be carried on the southbound side of the freeway. Two lanes will be open in each direction with a temporary concrete barrier separating northbound and southbound traffic. Temporary exits will be maintained for northbound traffic at 14 Mile Road, Rochester Road, Big Beaver Road, and Corporate Drive. A crossover at the Corporate Drive entrance ramp will allow traffic to access northbound I-75 while traffic is shifted onto the southbound lanes. These temporary movements will be closed for a limited time during the construction season when crews are working within the vicinity.

The project will also be constructing community-developed aesthetics and federally approved noise walls, and continuing construction of the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes between Coolidge Highway and 13 Mile Road.

The entire I-75 modernization project involves rebuilding approximately 18 miles of pavement, replacing bridges, adding an HOV lane in each direction, and bringing the freeway up to current design standards from north of M-102 (Eight Mile Road) to South Boulevard. Follow I-75 modernization progress on the web at www.Modernize75.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Modernize75 or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Modernize75.