CLICK TO HEAR JACK HALL’S INTERVIEW WITH DAN WEINGARTEN, M-DOT
With travelers gearing up for one final summer road trip, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is removing lane restrictions on nearly 60 percent of its road and bridge projects statewide to ease traffic delays for holiday traffic.
“It’s been another tremendous year of progress for our state’s roads and bridges, and while summer is winding down, that doesn’t mean projects are,” said State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich. “Thanks to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Rebuilding Michigan program and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we still have many projects on our trunklines carrying through into November and beyond, with other smaller-scale projects occurring this fall as well.”
“Even though we’ve pulled back the barrels in the majority of our work zones, there are still some cases where that just isn’t possible. So drivers, remember to slow down, put away those devices and focus on the task at hand. We want everyone to make it back home safely every night.”
Travelers are also reminded that for safety and security, the Mackinac Bridge will be closed to public traffic on Labor Day, Sept. 7, from 6:30 a.m. to noon during the Annual Bridge Walk. Southbound I-75 and US-2 traffic will be stopped at Exit 344 on the north side of the bridge; northbound I-75 traffic will be stopped at Exit 337 on the south end. For more information, visit the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) website at MackinacBridge.org/Walk or call the MBA at 906-643-7600.
Beginning at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, and continuing until 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, 91 out of 156 MDOT projects statewide will have lane restrictions removed. While motorists will see suspended operations in most state road work zones for the weekend, drivers are advised that equipment and certain traffic configurations may remain in place, like temporary shifts or shoulder closures.
MDOT oversees I, M and US routes and is responsible for nearly 10,000 miles of state highways, which carry more than 50 percent of all traffic and approximately 70 percent of commercial traffic in Michigan.
The following is a list of work zones that will remain active or have lane restrictions during Labor Day weekend. If necessary, detour routes will be posted at the project location. All closures are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information on MDOT projects, go to the Mi Drive website at Michigan.gov/Drive.
Upper Peninsula
I-75, Chippewa County, will have one lane open in each direction at M-48; M-48 will have one lane of alternating traffic via a temporary signal.
I-75, Mackinac County, will have one lane open in each direction with a traffic shift over Cheeseman Road in St. Ignace.
M-35, Marquette County, will have alternating traffic on one lane at Warner Creek with a temporary traffic signal.
M-64, Gogebic County, will have one lane of alternating traffic at Bingham Creek via temporary signals.
M-77, Alger County, will have one lane open in alternating directions via a temporary traffic signal south of Adams Trail.
M-123, Chippewa County, will have one lane open in alternating directions in Paradise via a temporary traffic signal.
M-123, Luce County, will have one lane open in alternating directions over Auger Creek north of Newberry via a temporary traffic signal.
M-129, Chippewa County, has a posted detour in each direction between M-80 and M-28.
US-2, Iron County, will have one lane of alternating traffic between Stager Lake Road and Airport Road via a temporary traffic signal.
US-2, Gogebic County, will have one lane of alternating traffic between Sampson Road and Great Lakes Road via a temporary traffic signal.
US-41, Houghton County, will have one lane of alternating traffic at the Sturgeon River via a temporary traffic signal.
Comments