MDOT showcases new innovative road building method on I-696
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - The Michigan Department of Transportation is using an innovative way to build roads in hopes this new method will help the roads last longer.
On I-696 at Orchard Lake Road in Farmington Hills, MDOT is one year into an innovative pilot project.
"Anyone that's driven this stretch of roadway knows this pavement is in poor condition," said Brian Travis, a construction engineer at MDOT.
The project will serve as a test to see how effective MDOT's new method will be for building roads.
Traditionally, MDOT would use raw materials like crushed stone as the base for the road, but with the new method, they're using a cement and water base.
"It's a very durable material and also a permeable material that drains water, and that really gives us a solid base to place the road that will last years and years and drains water efficiently," Travis said.
Water is one of the biggest enemies of a road which contributes to things like potholes, but in this case, water is one of the more important parts of the new method that MDOT says could help the road last longer.
Typically, roads last for about 20 years, but with the new method, MDOT says it could add 10 years of life on the roads, if not longer.
"We hope to go beyond 30 with maintenance," Travis said.
The $275 million project will look to rebuild the roads from I-275 to the east of US-24 (Telegraph Road).
The funding for the project was part of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's Rebuilding Michigan Program.
MDOT says the new approach to road construction is not only environmentally friendly but cost-effective.
"It saves on material cost, trucking cost, so it's really an effective way to do it," said Travis.
The project is expected to be complete by 2025.