DETROIT – A major construction project on I-75 is bringing new closures, and if drivers don't pay close attention, they could get stuck on the road for 13 miles.
The current Rouge Bridge construction project has already created a traffic jam, but it's about to get even worse.
Starting Friday, northbound I-75 won't have any entrance or exit ramps from Northline Road all the way to the other side of the bridge at Livernois Avenue.
While the ramp closures are only temporary, they're going to create a major headache for downriver drivers.
Southbound I-75 is still closed from Springwells Street to Telegraph Road, and the northbound ramp closures are also part of the Detroit-Downriver Connection project.
Avoiding northbound I-75 might be the best option for downriver drivers during the next couple of weeks.
"I'm definitely pressed on time," resident Brian Ferreira said. "I need to leave early.
The project will begin at 9 p.m. Friday. The Michigan Department of Transportation will shift the northbound I-75 traffic into the southbound lanes, and northbound drivers will stay on the southbound lanes all the way to Livernois Avenue.
"I don't know where you get on at," resident Tony Smith said.
Between Sibley Road and Livernois Avenue, drivers won't have access to I-75, and between Northline Road and Livernois Avenue, drivers on northbound I-75 won't be able to exit.
That's a 13-mile stretch on which drivers can't enter or exit the highway.
The traffic shift will last two weeks and, in the meantime, drivers will have to use Fort Street or Dix Highway to avoid I-75.
Fortunately for downriver drivers, the Rouge Bridge project is in the home stretch. It's expected to be completely finished by November.
Drivers looking for alternate routes are advised to plan ahead. You can tune in to Local 4 News Today on Friday morning, starting at 4:30 a.m., for live traffic updates.