Detroit drivers who rely on the Elmhurst exit off southbound M‑10, better known as the Lodge, are about to lose a familiar escape route for good. The Michigan Department of Transportation is permanently removing the exit, and crews have already squeezed down the right lane and shut the entrance ramp from Glendale Street. The work is expected to snarl rush‑hour traffic through late spring.
According to FOX 2 Detroit, the right lane on southbound M‑10 will stay closed through mid‑May, and the Glendale Street entrance ramp will remain off‑limits during construction. The broader project is slated to wrap up by the first week of June, with the Elmhurst exit, described by the station as one of the most dangerous in the area, gone for good once the dust settles.
Safety history on the Lodge
Traffic engineers have had their eye on this stretch of the Lodge for a while. Federal data and corridor studies have repeatedly flagged the Elmhurst interchange as a trouble spot, with a pattern of recurring incidents popping up in historical profiles for M‑10. A Federal Highway Administration evaluation of the Detroit freeway corridor lists Elmhurst among locations with elevated incident counts along the Lodge, backing up the safety argument for taking the ramp out of play.
What drivers should expect
For now, motorists can count on slower trips on southbound M‑10 as lane closures and construction crews squeeze capacity. Signs will steer drivers around the closed shoulder and ramp areas, but that will not do much for anyone hoping to zip through on cruise control. As FOX 2 Detroit reported, the removal is part of a broader push to eliminate a crash‑prone ramp and make merging on the Lodge a little less hair‑raising.
Why the change matters
Short, closely spaced ramps like Elmhurst and the nearby Glendale exit create tight weaving zones where drivers are trying to enter, exit, and change lanes all at once. That kind of choreography tends to spike both crash risk and congestion. Route listings for M‑10 show Elmhurst and Glendale as back‑to‑back interchanges, which helps explain why engineers are reworking the area to simplify traffic flow and cut down on conflict points. Wikipedia documents those exits.
In the meantime, drivers are being urged to pad their schedules, follow posted detours, and keep an eye on local traffic reports for day‑to‑day headaches. The Michigan Department of Transportation posts construction alerts and project maps for highways across the state, so Metro Detroit travelers can check MDOT for the latest on lane closures and travel advisories.
