This weekend, drivers in Detroit will need to plan for a road closure that will impact one of the city's major freeways. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has announced that a section of I-94 will be closed for bridge demolition work. Specifically, I-94 will be shut down between I-75 and Gratiot Avenue (M-3) starting from 8 p.m. on Friday, with the expectation that it will reopen by 5 a.m. on March 31.
The closure is necessitated by removing the McClellan Avenue overpass above I-94. As reported by ClickOnDetroit, the bridge, originally constructed in 1957, was shuttered in March 2024 due to "poor structural conditions." MDOT has decided not to replace the overpass, citing upcoming upgrades to the I-94/M-3 (Gratiot Avenue) interchange as the reason.
Detours will be in place to manage traffic while the interstate is closed. According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, westbound I-94 traffic will be rerouted via southbound M-3 to northbound I-75 and then back to westbound I-94. Similarly, eastbound traffic will follow the reverse route. These detours will help maintain traffic flow around the closed section of the freeway.
Furthermore, all access to I-94 will be blocked from surrounding entry ramps before the freeway shutdown. All entrance ramps to westbound I-94 from Cadieux Road to M-3 will be closed, and ramps to eastbound I-94 from West Grand Boulevard to Van Dyke Avenue (M-53) will see closure as well. MDOT expects that all ramps will be re-opened by the early hours of the following Monday, providing a clear signal for the morning commute.
