Ionia County neighbors are staring down what many expect to be the roughest phase of a three‑year rebuild of Interstate 96. By mid‑April, crews plan to slide construction over to the eastbound lanes, a shift that will mean fewer lanes, fresh detours and heavier traffic cutting through towns along the corridor.
MDOT project details
The Michigan Department of Transportation is rebuilding eight miles of I‑96 between Bliss Road and Sunfield Road. The project, which began in June 2024, is slated to wrap up in November 2026. According to MDOT, the work includes full pavement replacement, drainage upgrades and bridge improvements, and it will come with lane closures, traffic shifts and periodic ramp work throughout the schedule.
Eastbound work starts mid‑April
Local coverage has pegged the package as a roughly $130 million effort and reports that crews will shift to eastbound I‑96 on April 13, 2026, moving traffic onto the west side of the highway and cutting the freeway down to a single lane in each direction. Residents told reporters that a similar setup earlier in the project funneled drivers onto secondary roads and left driveways and side streets backed up. Business owners said those earlier phases thinned out customer counts, and the Ionia County Sheriff’s Office has signaled it will boost patrols on busy township and county roads, as reported by FOX 17.
Crash toll and enforcement
State troopers and MDOT ramped up enforcement after a series of serious wrecks in the work zone. News 8 reported more than 50 injury crashes involving commercial vehicles, including multiple deadly collisions, and WILX later described a double‑digit fatality toll. In response, troopers have staged targeted inspections and high‑visibility patrols aimed at cracking down on speeding, risky lane changes and unsafe merges through the construction area.
Neighbors and local reporting
Local beat reporting has repeatedly flagged the strain on neighborhood streets during earlier phases of the project. Hoodline coverage of I‑96 lane shutdowns highlighted closures and tangled routes that forced residents to hunt for alternate ways around the work zone. Neighbors say the eastbound phase is likely to add more pressure to township roads that are already carrying detoured traffic, and town and county leaders are working with MDOT and law enforcement on routing plans and stepped‑up enforcement.
What drivers should know
Drivers can expect intermittent ramp closures, shifted lanes and slower trips through the spring and summer, along with periods when major detours send freeway traffic onto county roads. State police and MDOT are urging motorists to use the zipper merge, leave extra following distance and keep an eye on MDOT’s live MiDrive and project updates for the latest lane and ramp changes; see MDOT and News 8’s reporting for details on current enforcement efforts in the corridor.
