We hate our bumpy roads. We also hate construction projects that have us sitting in traffic, delaying our commutes and pleasure trips.
Welcome to construction season.
Major Metro Detroit road construction is about to get underway, Eric Lawrence reports in the Fetroit Free Press:
Several area road agencies have announced their 2016 road construction project plans, and the Michigan Department of Transportation, which plans to spend about $422 million in its Metro Region around Detroit, has perhaps the most-anticipated — or dreaded — projects, with the start of the 14-year I-75 reconstruction and widening in Oakland County and the I-275 reconstruction in Oakland and Wayne counties.
Diane Cross, an MDOT spokeswoman, urged drivers to be patient.
"MDOT does ask the public for patience while we cause short-term pain for long-term gain. The work on our infrastructure is an investment in the future of our community," Cross said.
Drivers who travel I-275 are gearing up for major impacts in coming weeks as a $75-million reconstruction project proceeds there. Work is under way on parts of the project from north of 5 Mile to the I-96/I-696/M-5 interchange in Novi, Livonia and Farmington Hills. But the real challenge will happen when the southbound lanes of I-275 close early next month. Once the southbound lanes reopen, the northbound lanes will close. The project should wrap up this fall.
MDOT is also gearing up for the start of the controversial $1-billion I-75 "mega project." Trees and brush in the area of the Square Lake Road interchange have already been cleared. Roadwork on the first segment, from South Boulevard to Coolidge through Bloomfield Township, Auburn Hills and Troy, is expected to start in July and cost $127-million. Five bridges are to be replaced; the interchange at Square Lake Road is to be reconfigured, and an extra lane will be added in each direction. The extra lane will serve as a High Occupancy Vehicle lane during peak travel hours.
