As temperatures rise around metro Detroit, so does the racket of jackhammers and bulldozers along Michigan roadways.
While some of the projects have been ongoing for years, there are numerous construction projects reconstructing, repairing and improving major metro Detroit roads, freeways and highways this summer.
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is spending nearly $1 billion to get roads back up to speed.
"We're the biggest part of the state, about 40% of the state in freeways; we've been lucky; we've got a lot of money to fix these roads,” said Diane Cross, a spokesperson with MDOT. So we're going to fix these roads in areas, putting bandaids on them when they need surgery, we're doing surgery.”
"Funding is not forever, so when we get the money, we got to use the money; it's not a blank check you can have whenever you need it down the road," Cross said.
Funding for the projects comes from the state, gas tax, and the federal government. In total, 17 current projects are underway or will get underway later this summer.
From Macomb to Wayne counties, there's a range of bridgework and or resurfacing projects that are happening.
"Traffic heading to the airport that affects a lot of people, I-275 for the most part, that's mostly done so we will have plenty of times where we are down to one lane while we work on the bridge overhead, but this is the last year of that," according to MDOT.
When it comes to freeways, most of the ones in Metro Detroit have been rebuilt within the last decade. With much construction and traveling, closed roads can cause a hiccup in anyone's trek.
With the help of the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, here are the five major construction projects to look out for across metro Detroit this summer and beyond.
I-75 and Fisher Service Drive: In building the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a stretch of Interstate-75 and the Fisher Service Drive in southwest Detroit will continue to undergo construction throughout most of the summer and beyond.
The ongoing work focuses on pedestrian bridges over the freeway and ramps that will connect I-75 to the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is expected to be completed next year, as well as other road improvements. Until the project's completion, intermittent and moving single-lane closures along with total street and ramp closures are subject to change. Stay updated on changing road conditions and detours at gordiehoweinternationalbridge.com.
- Southfield Freeway M-39: Almost 5 miles of the Southfield Freeway, from Pinecraft Drive just south of I-94 to Ford Road, will be under construction into the fall as crews work to repair the freeway, including concrete patching, milling and resurfacing, pavement markings, drainage cleaning and barrier wall repairs. Work began on April 29 with single-lane closures on the right lanes during weekday hours and double lane closures overnight and over the weekend.
- Van Dyke Freeway M-53: Southbound lanes on the Van Dyke Freeway from 18 Mile Road and Hall Road M-59, which has been under construction since early March, will remain under work through mid-summer for milling and resurfacing of M-53 and bridge work. The eastbound and westbound M-59 ramps to M-53 will also be closed along with local closures of Utica Road, 19 Mile Road and Canal Road.
- Square Lake Road I-75 Business Loop: The I-75 Business Loop, otherwise known as Square Lake Road, is being rebuilt between Woodward Avenue and I-75 in Bloomfield Township, including rebuilding pavement, drainage improvements, new curb and gutter, signal upgrades and improving the Opdyke Road/Square Lake Road ramps. Since construction began on April 15, the westbound I-75 Business Loop has been closed at Opdyke Road, but starting in June through mid-summer, the loop will be closed the whole stretch from I-75 to Woodward Avenue.
- I-96 Flex Route: Michigan's second flex route along I-96 from Kent Lake Road in Lyon Township to the I-275/I-696/M-5 interchange in Novi is in its last stretch after three years of construction, installing an active traffic management system and widening shoulders to allow part-time median shoulder use during peak traffic times, as well as rebuilding lanes, shoulders and ramps, and repairing pavement.
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Source: Detroit Free Press, CBS News
