MDOT Lifts Work Zone Restrictions Over Fourth Of July Weekend

METRO DETROIT, MI — It’s no secret that the Fourth of July holiday weekend is historically one of the deadliest on the nation’s highways. The Michigan Department of Transportation is doing what it can to improve safety by removing lane restrictions on nearly 75 percent of its road and bridge projects statewide.

AAA Michigan auto club expects more than 1.48 million Michiganders to travel at least 50 miles from home for the Independence Day weekend, a 3.3 percent increase from last year's holiday travel period, MDOT stated in a news release. It has been about 15 years since Michigan has hit that mark.

Beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and continuing until 6 a.m. Wednesday, July 5, 94 out of 129 projects statewide will have lane restrictions removed, MDOT said. While motorists will see suspended operations in most construction zones for the weekend, drivers are advised that equipment and certain traffic configurations, like temporary shifts or shoulder closures, may remain in place.

"Traveling to summer destinations in Michigan is always exciting. But driving is serious business and motorists need to focus at all times," State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle said. "Many of our work zones will be removed for holiday travel, but driver attentiveness must remain. Please drive with care as we celebrate our country's independence."

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According to recent reports Allstate and QuoteWizard.com, Michigan motorists are among the best — or worst — in the country, depending on which of those reports is most accurate.

MDOT oversees I, M, and US routes and is responsible for nearly 10,000 miles of state highways, which carry more than 50 percent of all traffic and approximately 70 percent of commercial traffic in Michigan. The following is a list of work zones that will remain active or have restrictions during the Fourth of July weekend. If necessary, detour routes will be posted at the project location.

Southern Michigan

- I-94 Business Loop (Michigan Avenue) in Jackson, Jackson County, will have one eastbound lane open with westbound traffic detoured between Brown Street and Steward Avenue.

- US-12, Washtenaw County, has two eastbound lanes open from Dorset Avenue to Ecorse Road for road and bridge work.

- US-23, Washtenaw and Livingston counties, will have traffic shifted between 8 Mile Road and Barker Road, with ramp closures.

Metro Detroit

Macomb County

- M-59 has one lane closed between M-53 and Garfield Road for reconstruction.

Oakland County

- I-75 has lane closures in effect at Square Lake Road for interchange reconstruction.

- I-75 has two lanes open in each direction on the northbound side of the freeway between Auburn Road and Coolidge Road. The following ramps are closed:
- Eastbound M-59 to southbound I-75, and
- The Adams Road entrance and exit ramps to and from southbound I-75.

- Old M-59 (Auburn Road) has the eastbound lanes closed between Crooks Avenue and Livernois Avenue for reconfiguration and utility work.

Wayne County

- The Calvert Avenue bridge will be closed over M-10 for bridge construction.

- Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard is closed over M-10 for bridge replacement.

- I-75 has the southbound lanes closed between Springwells Street and Northline Road for bridge work.

- I-75 has the southbound lanes closed at Goddard Road for bridge replacement.

- I-75 has the northbound ramp to westbound West Road closed for bridge widening.

- The I-75/M-10 interchange has ramp closures for bridge reconstruction.

- M-85 (Fort Street) has one southbound lane open near Outer Drive for bridge work.

Upper Peninsula

- M-553, Marquette County, has lane shifts and narrow lanes north of County Road 480.

- US-2, Delta County, has one lane open in each direction between County Road 426 and 18.3 Road.

- US-2, Dickinson County, has one lane open in each direction between Pine Mountain Road and Moon Lake Road.

- US-41 (Front Street) in Hancock, Houghton County, has one lane open in each direction between Reservation Street and the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. Westbound M-26 traffic is detoured through Hancock from Ripley Street to southbound US-41.

- US-41 in Marquette, Marquette County, has one lane open in each direction between McClellan Avenue and Front Street.

- US-41 in Negaunee, Marquette County, has one lane open in each direction between Water Street And Iroquois Drive.

Northern Lower Peninsula

- I-75, Ogemaw County, will have traffic shifts south of West Branch. The northbound I-75 West Branch Rest Area will be closed.

- Old US-131, Wexford County, is closed between Cadillac and Manton, and is detoured via Boon Road, US-131, and M-42/US-131 Business Route.

- US-31, Emmet County, is closed north of Pellston and detoured on M-68, I-75, and East Levering Road.

West Michigan

- M-44 (Belding Road), Kent County, is closed and detoured between Wolverine Boulevard and Blakely Drive. Lane closures under flag control from Blakely Drive to Myers Lake Avenue.

- M-120, Muskegon County, will be closed to southbound traffic from Giles Road to N. Causeway Street. Traffic will be detoured via Giles and Whitehall roads.

- US-131, Kent County, has a split-merge traffic shift between 14 Mile and 17 Mile roads with two lanes open in each direction (two northbound lanes and one southbound lane on the northbound side, and one southbound lane on the southbound side).

Southwest Michigan

- I-94, Berrien County, has the eastbound lanes shifted from Hennessey Road to the Van Buren County line.

- I-94, Berrien County, has two eastbound lanes open from Bridgman (Exit 16) to Stevensville (Exit 23).

- I-94, Van Buren County, has two lanes open in each direction over the Paw Paw River with a traffic shift.

- M-99 in Albion, Calhoun County, is closed and detoured.

- US‐12 in Three Oaks, Berrien County, has one lane open with a temporary traffic signal.

Central Michigan and Thumb

- I-75/I-675 interchange, Saginaw County, has lane closures and traffic shifts at the north junction between Exit 154 and Exit 160. Three lanes will be open in the peak direction of travel with a moveable barrier wall.

- M-24, Lapeer County, has traffic shifts and lane closures in effect from Nepessing Road to Davis Lake Road. One lane will be open in each direction.

- M-83 in Frankenmuth, Saginaw County, has one lane open in each direction over the Cass River.

- US-127 Business Route in Mt. Pleasant, Isabella County, is closed at North Mission Road with traffic detoured to M-20 (Pickard Road) and US-127.

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