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Countdown To I-75 Shutdown: Southbound Lanes From Downtown To Downriver Closing In 3 Weeks

DETROIT (WWJ) - Ready or not: The major road construction project on I-75 in Detroit and Downriver will begin in less than three weeks.

The Michigan Department of Transportation announced Tuesday morning that southbound I-75 will shut down from I-96 to Northline Road during the weekend of Feb. 4 as part of a $200 million project, which will include removing and replacing all concrete on the Rouge River bridge.

The work on southbound I-75 is expected to take place over two years.

The detour begins at I-96 in Detroit to Northline Road in 2017; during 2018, the detour will be from I-96 to Sibley Road. Only southbound I-75 will be closed during the two-year period while northbound I-75 will remain open at all times.

2017-construction-detours
(Credit: MDOT)

 

MDOT says the decision to close one direction of I-75 is based on multiple factors, including:

• Speed: Rebuilding one side of the bridge at a time without traffic present will result in the project being completed in the shortest amount of time.

• Cost: The shorter project duration resulting from rebuilding one side of bridge at a time will result in the lowest overall project cost.

• Safety: If the bridge was constructed in sections with both directions of traffic sharing one side, there wouldn't be adequate room for emergency crews to respond to incidents on the bridge.

• Mobility: Maintaining limited two-way traffic on one side of freeway would cause back-ups in both directions, as opposed to one direction.

• Quality: Rebuilding one side of the bridge at a time will allow construction to proceed without interruption since there will be no need to maintain traffic. The decreased vibrations from nearby traffic will result in the best quality workmanship.

• Duration: By closing southbound I-75, construction activity will move faster since not as much time and effort will be needed to shift traffic.

More information on the project can be found at 75rougeriver.com.

For the latest from the roads, stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 during Traffic and Weather on the 8s, 24-hours a day. Check for recent incidents now on the CBS Detroit Traffic Page.

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