Stretch of I-696 in Oakland County to close for two years
(CBS DETROIT) - The Michigan Department of Transportation is planning a major construction project on Interstate 696, which will begin in a few months and will affect many drivers.
Starting March 1, eastbound I-696 will be completely closed to traffic in its busiest nine-mile stretch from Lahser Road to I-75.
"It was built in the 80s, and the pavement condition is getting to a point where we can't keep putting money into it to maintain it. So it's time for a full reconstruction, and we also have 60 bridges that are being worked on along this corridor as well," said Brian Travis, MDOT construction engineer.
The construction from Southfield to Royal Oak will affect tens of thousands of drivers daily for at least two years beginning in March 2025. While drivers are expected to have some frustrations, MDOT says in a few years, they will appreciate all the work that this is going to accomplish.
While the construction is taking place, MDOT plans a detour for drivers who would otherwise take this route.
"We are going to detour eastbound on 696. All of that traffic is going to be detoured south on the Lodge, east onto Davison northbound I-75 back to 696, and that allows us to safely build the freeway and gives us a whole closed-off area to work in. Westbound 696 traffic will be maintained on the westbound side though." said Travis.
MDOT says they expect not everyone to use the advised detour, and because of that, every eastbound road in the area from about nine miles to 13 miles may see a lot more traffic starting in about a month and a half.
Also, as part of this construction, MDOT will be rebuilding the Church St plaza over the highway. If you've ever driven on this stretch of 696, you'd know there are always Icicles hanging above you in the winter, so MDOT says they're happy that will no longer be a problem.
