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MDOT To Spend $274 Million On Road Work

Southfield (WWJ) Drivers throughout southeastern Michigan will be dodging orange construction barrels again this year.

The Michigan Department of Transportation Wednesday announced that $274 million in contracts will be awarded to repair and upgrade 82 miles of roads and freeways and 105 bridges in Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne counties.

MDOT says the investment is possible because of Michigan's ability to match federal aid for transportation improvements.

"These investments are vitally important to our area," said Metro Region Engineer Tony Kratofil in a statement. "Not only do they make our roads safer, but they also provide a stable foundation for economic development which leads to job growth and retention."

Some of the road work will be a continuation of repairs started last year including upgrades at the I-94/I-696 interchange in Macomb County, the reconstruction of US-24 (Telegraph Road) in Oakland County, and the rebuilding of Fort Street in Detroit.

Here is the list of projects slated for this year:

- In Oakland and Wayne counties, an $80 million project to rebuild more than 3 miles of M-39 (Southfield Freeway), between the M-10 (Lodge Freeway) interchange and McNichols Road. Included in this project is the repair/replacement of 24 overpasses between I-94 and M-10.

- In Wayne County, a $40 million reconstruction of M-85 (Fort Street) between Sibley and Goddard roads.

- In Wayne County, an $8.5 million upgrade on I-94, between I-75 and M-102 (Eight Mile Road), to resurface the freeway from M-3 (Gratiot Avenue) in Detroit to M-102 in Harper Woods, and replace the freeway lighting between St. Aubin Street to M-3 in Detroit.

- In Oakland County, a $21 million investment to resurface M-59 between Crooks and Opdyke roads. Included in this project is pavement repair to the ramps at the M-59/I-75 interchange.

- In Oakland County, an $8 million project to reconfigure and reconstruct the M-59/Crooks Road interchange, including the widening of Crooks Road between Star Batt Road and Austin Drive.

- In Oakland County, a $10 million investment to repair the bridges that carry I-96 over Kent Lake Road, Milford Road, and the Huron River.

- In Oakland County, a $4 million investment to resurface M-59 between Tipsico and Williams Lake roads.

- In Macomb County, an $8 million replacement of the M-3 (Gratiot Avenue) bridges over the Clinton River.

- In Macomb County, a $10 million project to repair nine bridges on I-696 between M-53 (Van Dyke Avenue) and M-97 (Groesbeck Highway).

- In St. Clair County, a $90 million investment to widen and reconstruct more than 2 miles of I-94/I-69 between Lapeer Road and Pine Grove Avenue. Included in this project is the replacement of the Black River Bridge.

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