DETROIT – Both sides of I-75 might be back open in Oakland County, but the project is far from done. Michigan Department of Transportation officials said construction in Metro Detroit could be even worse in 2020 than it was this year.
Drivers know 2019 was a tough year, with some major construction projects to get around. But construction isn’t expected to get much better during the new year, as MDOT officials said the year 2020 could be worse than 2019, in terms of roadwork.
There’s no getting around it: Michigan’s roads are in poor condition. Potholes are causing flat tires and damaging cars. Crews said 2020 will be a year to fix a lot of the roads, especially the ones that need it most.
“I would say I-75 is a pretty bad one for me,” driver Robert Trimbull said. “I-75 and I-94.”
Diane Cross, of MDOT, said drivers are going to need to be ready to leave early and take alternate routes.
“We are going to have more projects on the roads that will affect more drivers,” Cross said.
I-94 will be a major problem for drivers, with three different areas scheduled to get work done.
“I-94 will continue to be torn up through Detroit because we’re replacing a number of bridges between Wyoming and Second,” Cross said.
Crews will also resurface I-94 from Connor Street up to 11 Mile Road. Then, over near the airport, crews will resurface I-94 from I-275, all the way toward Ann Arbor, ending around U.S. 23.
I-275 will also see orange barrels. Drivers can expect to see construction between Ford and Six Mile roads.
Eight Mile Road will also get some work done between I-75 and I-94.
“Some of it is already coming in because it’s federal money, but depending on how much more money we can get from the government -- the legislation that could affect how many of these go for sure or what other additional work we may be able to go,” Cross said.
The biggest project of the year will still be the Modernize I-75 construction in Oakland County. While the north side of the freeway is complete, the southbound side will get a makeover starting in March.