MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – There will be lanes closed on both westbound and eastbound I-696 beginning Tuesday and continuing over the next several weeks in Macomb County.
Here's what drivers should expect, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation:
7 a.m. Tuesday, April 30 until the end of May:
- Westbound I-696, Gratiot Avenue to Couzens Avenue, the left lane will be closed. (Was Gratiot Avenue to Mound Roads)
9 a.m. Tuesday, April 30 until 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 1:
- Eastbound I-696, Dequindre Road to Mound Road, the left lane will close, AND 2 LEFT LANES from Mound Road to Gratiot Avenue -- the two right lanes remain open.
9 a.m. Wednesday, May 1 until the of May:
- Eastbound I-696, Dequindre Road to Gratiot Avenue, 2 LEFT LANES WILL CLOSE -- the right lanes remain open.
MDOT said earlier in April that the work forcing these lane closures will include restoring the crossover locations, repairing barrier walls, freeway lighting, sewer work, joint sealing, installing asphalt shoulders, and finishing diamond grinding.
Work also will be done on the I-696 service drives to repair the concrete surface and replace curb and sidewalks, MDOT said.
Of course, as always, the work is weather-permitting.
Here's the project map:
Months of I-696 construction
This stretch of I-696 between I-75 and I-94 was closed to traffic for nearly a year last year so it could be completely rebuilt. Construction crews took a winter break in January, and now they'll resume work this spring.
The $90 million construction project kicked off back in April 2018, first shutting down westbound I-696 between I-94 and I-75. Eastbound traffic was eventually shifted to the westbound lanes while crews worked ont he eastbound side. The interstate fully reopened to traffic earlier this year.
MDOT first announced the massive interstate construction project in October 2017, saying due to poor condition the freeway must undergo concrete replacement on this stretch in Macomb County.
According to MDOT, I-696 carries about 150,000 vehicles a day through Macomb County.