The three‑year, $353 million rebuild of Interstate 94 between Romulus and Dearborn is officially moving from talk to traffic headaches. Prep work is underway on roughly 13 miles of freeway, and anyone who relies on that stretch to reach Detroit Metro Airport or get across Metro Detroit is staring down years of lane shifts, orange barrels and longer drives through at least mid‑2029.
Crews are clearing medians and getting shoulders and crossovers ready so traffic can be shifted in stages while the mainline of the freeway is rebuilt. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) insists access to Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) will stay open, but drivers are being warned to plan for evolving detours and consistently slower trips.
What Officials Say Is Coming
According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Restore94 program will rebuild I‑94 from east of I‑275 to west of Michigan Avenue. The work includes realigning the roadway, bridge and ramp repairs, a new interchange at Ecorse Road, upgraded lighting and drainage, and new intelligent‑transportation system features.
MDOT says the work, budgeted at $353 million, will be staged so that one to two lanes remain open most of the time and is expected to wrap up by mid‑2029. In other words, the freeway will stay open, but it will not be pretty.
Tree Clearing And Wildlife Timing
As part of the early prep, crews have started removing trees and vegetation in a large median near Ecorse Road so they can build temporary crossovers and realign traffic. Local reporting notes that the clearing is scheduled to avoid the spring nesting season for the endangered northern long‑eared bat, and the removed trees will be replaced once construction ends, according to the Downriver Sunday Times.
Summer Could Be The Worst Squeeze
MDOT spokeswoman Diane Cross told AXIOS that major lane reductions, including stretches that drop to a single lane, are likely by summer once prep work wraps and asphalt plants reopen.
That corridor carries as many as 150,000 vehicles per day, and Axios notes that the I‑94/Southfield Freeway interchange is expected to be the first major choke point because of ongoing bridge rehabilitation. Drivers who already crawl through that tangle know how quickly one closed lane can turn into a full‑blown traffic meltdown.
Airport Access And Detour Game Plan
MDOT says access to Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) from I‑94 and I‑275 will be preserved throughout the project. Most ramps will close in phases, with detours pushed to Michigan Avenue and Ford Road.
Officials say staging is designed to keep Gate 10 at the Ford Rouge Plant open and to maintain local interchange access while crews work through the long list of bridge and ramp fixes. So you should still be able to catch your flight, you just might need to leave a lot earlier.
Back‑To‑Back Projects, Bigger Traffic Pain
The timing piles on top of other regional work. Nearby lane reductions and ramp closures on I‑696 are scheduled to continue into 2027, which will divert even more cars onto parallel streets and worsen delays, AXIOS reports.
Transportation planners are urging drivers to build in extra time, consider I‑275 as an alternate route and adjust travel during peak hours. Translation for commuters: get familiar with your side‑street options and your favorite traffic app.
Locals Brace For The Long Haul
Residents and service workers along the corridor are already steeling themselves for the ripple effects. "Well, it is going to make getting around pretty difficult, that's for sure," Allen Park resident Terry Chaney told WXYZ.
Officials counter that the eventual safety, drainage and traffic‑flow improvements will be worth the multi‑year disruption once the dust and orange barrels finally clear.
