DETROIT (WXYZ) — Drivers along I-94 in metro Detroit this weekend should prepare for headaches as there will be several closures and traffic shifts in the area.
The Restore I-94 project is continuing and it means more lane closures and some spots of the freeway being closed completely. The three-year project will repair about 13 miles of the freeway between Detroit Metro Airport and the Dearborn-Detroit border.
See a map of the closures in the video below
Crews will also be closing I-94 this Saturday and Sunday for 15-minute periods, and crews will be blocking a lane on both directions of I-94 from I-275 to Michigan Avenue to build up the shoulders for future traffic.
“We’re going to take you down to two lanes from now and for pretty much three years,” said Diane Cross, a spokesperson with the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Cross calls the work being done critical on roadway untouched for decades between I-275 and US-12. It will be taken down to two lanes, and Merriman and Middlebelt service drives will be down to one lane.
See more about the closures and hear from MDOT below:
In late July, it's expected that there will be a traffic shift to begin reconstruction on one side of I-94. Construction will divert eastbound traffic onto the westbound side.
“We will start tearing up the eastbound side and start rebuilding that,” Cross said. “Seems like a long way away, but we got a lot of work to do.”
The construction includes:
Saturday, May 9 at 5 a.m. through late July
- EB/WB I-94 between I-275 to US-12/Michigan will have 2 LANES OPEN.
Saturday, May 9 at 5 a.m. through early June
- EB/WB I-94 service drives to Merriman and Middlebelt will have 1 LANE OPEN.
Saturday, May 9 at 5 p.m. through Monday, May 11 at 5 a.m.
- NB/SB M-39/Southfield Fwy under I-94 will have 1 LANE OPEN.
7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sunday
- EB/WB I-94, Middlebelt to Inkster, near Metro Airport, CLOSING for multiple 15-minute periods.
9 a.m. Monday, May 11 through early June
- EB I-94 ramp to Wayne Rd will be CLOSED.
9 a.m. Monday, May 11 through the fall
- WB I-94 ramp to SB M-39/Southfield will be CLOSED.
- EB Van Born ramp to SB M-39 will be CLOSED.
Cross says drivers will still be able to exit at their typical exits, but will need to plan for delays. She encourages people to remain diligent and observant for workers and says you’re welcome to follow along with the patchwork and progression.
“Sometimes, if you understand what’s happening, it’s a little bit easier to swallow the pill of why you might need to leave a little bit early or if you’re running late,” Cross said.
If you’d like to follow the progress, visit restore94.com.
“I’m happy that it’s getting done. But it’s causing a lot of backup. Yeah, man, especially for the vendors to get out, to get to their stops. The potholes need to be done though. I’ve been here over 40-something years. And, it seems like they can’t get it right. It seems like they just do a patch job," Bernell Fuller, a Dearborn Heights resident, said about the work.
“No matter where you go in metro Detroit right now, as far as the highway use, it’s terrible," Greg Priede from New Boston said.
