Commuters in Oakland County are adjusting their routes as the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) carries out renovations on Interstate 696. According to CBS News, a section of westbound I-696 will shut down starting Friday, May 9, at 9 p.m., and is not expected to reopen until May 19 at 5 a.m. This closure is due to the demolition of the Church Street plaza bridge, impacting 170 concrete beams that are being removed.
While the westbound lanes between Southfield Road and Lahser Road bear the silence of absence, an alternate path directs drivers along I-75, M-8 (Davison Freeway), and M-10 (Lodge Freeway) to continue their journey westward. Diane Cross of the MDOT's Metro Region communications team advised in a statement obtained by CBS News, "Whatever map or traffic service you use, we have michigan.gov/drive where we show you construction and crash locations, but you've got to use something, you've got to have some idea what's going on the roads."
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, committed to her pledge to "fix the damn roads," offered a $3 billion dollar plan earlier in the year to include funding for these types of infrastructure improvements. The roadway construction project encompasses the repair of 60 bridges, as reported by the Detroit Free Press, which also signifies the rebuilding of Eastbound I-696, projected to last until the fall of 2026.
For pedestrians, the continuous tune of progress hums along as heft and stone give way, with a walkway detour firmly in place amidst the construction. The thoroughfare's eastern lanes, stretching from the Telegraph Road/Lodge Freeway exit through Interstate 75, have been closed since March 3. On the westbound front, drivers are rerouted to southbound I-75, westbound Davison Highway, and northbound Lodge Freeway to circle back onto I-696, ClickOnDetroit lays out the detour details.
