Highway and Road Construction Updates

[Guest]

2 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

The road improvements are described as work to “improve 14 bridges, along with concrete joint repairs, asphalt resurfacing, and high-friction surface coating on both directions of I-196 between Market Avenue and US-131.”

 

you forgot the best part....  "MDOT officials say the project will widen the stretch of highway from two to three lanes to ease traffic congestion and also include a  reconstruction of the Lake Michigan Drive interchange to improve safety "

 

 

Just kidding!  

[GRDadof3]

15 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

you forgot the best part....  "MDOT officials say the project will widen the stretch of highway from two to three lanes to ease traffic congestion and also include a  reconstruction of the Lake Michigan Drive interchange to improve safety "

 

 

Just kidding!  

Right! And the onramp from Lane going Westbound onto I-196 will be lengthened so that it's not a death trap. Psych! 

[cstonesparty]

16 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

you forgot the best part....  "MDOT officials say the project will widen the stretch of highway from two to three lanes to ease traffic congestion and also include a  reconstruction of the Lake Michigan Drive interchange to improve safety "

 

 

Just kidding!  

Now that was just cruel to those of us who frequent that stretch.  I had about three seconds of hope...

[GRDadof3]

All lanes all ramps reopening by Nov 9th at the "flip" project except the eastbound 96 to East Beltline bridge (which I notice is not close to ready yet).

https://trib.al/RzLgC5e

 

[draftpeppin]

2 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

All lanes all ramps reopening by Nov 9th at the "flip" project except the eastbound 96 to East Beltline bridge (which I notice is not close to ready yet).

https://trib.al/RzLgC5e

 

Great news!  I wonder if they abandoned the Plymouth bridge reconstruction listed on the project website: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/I-96_I-196_Interchange_Open_House_635592_7.pdf

[MJLO]

I think the Plymouth bridge portion of the project starts next summer. 

[draftpeppin]

51 minutes ago, MJLO said:

I think the Plymouth bridge portion of the project starts next summer. 

Could be. That document said part was supposed to be this year. Maybe it changed. 

[GRDadof3]

On 11/1/2019 at 5:16 AM, MJLO said:

I think the Plymouth bridge portion of the project starts next summer. 

I believe you're right. The whole project goes through Oct 2020 I believe. 

[draftpeppin]

I drove eastbound 196 to eastbound 96 today.  Lanes are open eastbound (thank goodness) but I noticed something interesting.  It's still the same route to get from EB 196 to EB 96, but there's pavement down to the left of that, which I had assumed was going to be the next 196 EB route.  The updates from MDOT and the media just reference that the 96 to E Beltline exit is left to be done. I'm wondering what's up with this other stretch of road.

 

 

On 11/2/2019 at 2:06 PM, GRDadof3 said:

I believe you're right. The whole project goes through Oct 2020 I believe. 

It's just odd that the updates from MDOT and the media indicate that the 96 to E Beltline bridge will be finished next year. No mention of other work on the project in 2020.

[GRDadof3]

12 minutes ago, draftpeppin said:

I drove eastbound 196 to eastbound 96 today.  Lanes are open eastbound (thank goodness) but I noticed something interesting.  It's still the same route to get from EB 196 to EB 96, but there's pavement down to the left of that, which I had assumed was going to be the next 196 EB route.  The updates from MDOT and the media just reference that the 96 to E Beltline exit is left to be done. I'm wondering what's up with this other stretch of road.

 

 

It's just odd that the updates from MDOT and the media indicate that the 96 to E Beltline bridge will be finished next year. No mention of other work on the project in 2020.

I don't think the media quite understands what's opening this weekend and what still needs to be done. And in their defense, it's an extremely complicated project. 

On your image, where the "2020" is, is the bridge from Eastbound 96 (think if you were coming from Plainfield going Eastbound) to the East Beltline exit. That lane will merge with a new exit ramp from downtown traffic going Eastbound and wants to get off at the Beltline. That "exit ramp" is being used as a temporary throughway for eastbound 196 traffic heading East past the Beltline. 

The new road you see to the left is the new "through" lane for Eastbound traffic going from downtown and heading further on to M-21, Cascade Road, 28th, etc.  It's not finished yet and won't be until next year (it appears). In addition, 196 Westbound between Fuller and this new mixing bowl will be expanded to 3 lanes. I believe too that Eastbound 196 will be rebuilt/repaved between Fuller and this interchange, which is why they're expanding the Plymouth Avenue bridge next year. 

How anyone scienced this out is beyond me. It's rather impressive actually, IMO. It just seems messed up right now. 

I did drive from Plainfield Ave and stayed on 96 Eastbound over the new bridge. It was a pretty interesting view of that area that I've never seen before. And Leonard St onramp is now open as well. Glad to finally see traffic taken off of Leonard Street. 

 

[GR8scott]

Still don’t understand why they wouldn’t put a East bound 96 (south) to Westbound 196 exit? Seems like it would be penny’s during this project 

[Allison Slater]

On 11/9/2019 at 12:21 PM, draftpeppin said:

It's just odd that the updates from MDOT and the media indicate that the 96 to E Beltline bridge will be finished next year. No mention of other work on the project in 2020.

iirc, the media was also saying that everything was to be open except for EBL to EB 96, but EBL to WB 96 is still closed. In fact all of the signage heading south on EBL made it very clear EBL to EB 96 is closed, but no mention of EBL to WB 96 being closed at all until you reach the ramp and see the barriers still up.

[GRDadof3]

3 hours ago, tSlater said:

iirc, the media was also saying that everything was to be open except for EBL to EB 96, but EBL to WB 96 is still closed. In fact all of the signage heading south on EBL made it very clear EBL to EB 96 is closed, but no mention of EBL to WB 96 being closed at all until you reach the ramp and see the barriers still up.

Yeah, that is/was supposed to be open. Wonder why it's not yet.

[discgrab21]

1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

Yeah, that is/was supposed to be open. Wonder why it's not yet.

It was open Saturday afternoon when I drove by.  I wonder why they closed it again?

[GRDadof3]

1 hour ago, discgrab21 said:

It was open Saturday afternoon when I drove by.  I wonder why they closed it again?

It was open when I went by it about an hour ago. There are still a bunch of construction barrels there so it sort of looks like it's closed but it's not. 

[Allison Slater]

I must've been too excited and tried before they had pulled the barriers away, then.

[GRDadof3]

The new Westbound section just as you reach the Beltline is so wide (4 lanes) people weren't even using the far left lane. You could tell because it was still covered in snow and none of the other lanes were. 

Traffic moves way faster through there than it used to. 

[Allison Slater]

22 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

The new Westbound section just as you reach the Beltline is so wide (4 lanes) people weren't even using the far left lane. You could tell because it was still covered in snow and none of the other lanes were. 

Traffic moves way faster through there than it used to. 

I was able to get into the I-196 lanes from the SB EBL->WB ramp without having to panic. Felt so nice.

[GRDadof3]

They're doing a bunch of tree clearing at I-96 and Fulton, on both sides of the highway, where those new onramp and offramp are planned. Have they moved that up from the 2021 season? 

[Raildude's dad]

Plans are not finished yet. It looks to me  like Consumers Energy clearing under the power lines .

[ironyisadeadscene]

Off topic slightly. But just north of us-12 and M-52, theres a cloverleaf interchange for an unbuilt expressway. Can anyone tell me more about that?

[Pattmost20]

2 hours ago, ironyisadeadscene said:

Off topic slightly. But just north of us-12 and M-52, theres a cloverleaf interchange for an unbuilt expressway. Can anyone tell me more about that?

I know nothing about it, but can you post a map of where it is? I am super interested to see that.

[54equalsunity]

Off topic slightly. But just north of us-12 and M-52, theres a cloverleaf interchange for an unbuilt expressway. Can anyone tell me more about that?

"In the 1950s or 1960s, plans were laid to construct an M-52 expressway/freeway northerly from Adrian. The portions of M-52 completed in 1959 and 1962 from M-50 northerly to Manchester were constructed to limited-access standards with access only at crossroads and ample right-of-way to add an additional set of two lanes. A full cloverleaf interchange was graded out for a planned fully-controlled access interchange with a proposed US-12 freeway just north of the M-52 & US-12 junction. This interchange is still visible, especially the twin mounds of dirt for the US-12 overpasses. Why the planned expressway/freeway was cancelled is not yet clear." 

http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/M-052.html

 

In these screenshots you can see the interchange right of ways, starting with the cloverleaf site:

[EastCoaster93]

Quick question about improvements being done to Interstate 196. Is it in the plans for MDOT to widen the Interstate to 3 lanes both ways between Fuller Ave and the new 96/196/EB Interchange? 
 

Increasingly,  I was wondering why the new(ish) overpass of Fuller Ave over 196  was built with only 4 lanes and not 6 lanes in mind? Seems like a lack over foresight to build a new overpass in that spot without expansion of another lane for each first direction in the plans. 

I know this is the best place to come for questions like this so I appreciate the insight. Happy Holidays to everyone in this community by the way! 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2019 by EastCoaster93

[Raildude's dad]

3 minutes ago, EastCoaster93 said:

Quick question about improvements being done to Interstate 196. Is it in the plans for MDOT to widen the Interstate to 3 lanes both ways between Fuller Ave and the new 96/196/EB Interchange? 
 

Increasingly,  I was wondering why the new(ish) overpass of Fuller Ave over 196  was built with only 4 lanes and not 6 lanes in mind? Seems like a lack over foresight to build a new overpass in that spot without expansion of another lane for each first direction in the plans. 

I know this is the best place to come for questions like this so I appreciate the insight. Happy Holidays to everyone in this community by the way! 

 

 

Yes, 3 lanes each direction, my daughter worked on drawing up the plans :).  There's room for 3 each direction under Fuller