Eastbound I-696 closure in Michigan begins today, will last for 2 years: Map, what to know
It is here. Starting Monday and for the next two years, motorists won't be able to take eastbound Interstate 696 through the southernmost part of eastern Oakland County.
It will affect residents in Ferndale, Oak Park, Huntington Woods, Madison Heights, Warren, Pleasant Ridge and beyond.
It's part of a larger multi-year road project called 'Restore the Reuther,' so named for I-696's other moniker, Walter P. Reuther Freeway.
Here's what to know about the I-696 closure, a map of where the closure takes place and why it's happening.
Starting Monday, March 3, the eastbound lanes of I-696 will close between Lahser Road, in the area of the John C. Lodge Freeway, in Southfield and I-75 in Royal Oak.
Two years, from March 2025 until 2027.
Starting at 9 a.m. March 3, crews will begin marking pavement, closing ramps and closing lanes to the selected section of eastbound I-696, according to a Feb. 24 news release from the Michigan Department of Transportation.
By afternoon, that portion of the freeway is expected to be fully closed, according to an MDOT news release.
"Westbound traffic will be maintained while eastbound and westbound I-696 are rebuilt between Lahser Road and I-75," MDOT said in the release. "However, eastbound traffic will be detoured for two years via southbound M-10 (Lodge Freeway), eastbound M-8 (Davison Highway) and northbound I-75 back to eastbound I-696."
Drivers who would have otherwise taken the closed eastbound portion of I-696 will be detoured down through Highland Park on their way back to eastbound I-696.
Drivers will be directed south on the Lodge Freeway, also known as M-10, to the Davison Freeway, or M-8, and then will be sent north up I-75 until they reconnect with eastbound I-696.
Eastbound drivers not taking the detour can still exit the freeway at Telegraph Road or Lahser, but those who need that eastbound I-696 path all the way through will start their detour at Telegraph Road before Lahser, Diane Cross, MDOT communications representative for the metro Detroit area, previously told the Free Press.
She noted motorists are legally allowed to take other routes, besides the closed portion of eastbound I-696, and it will take quite some time to learn how traffic shifts. Drivers may take different roads from one day to the next.
People should start checking out their routes ahead of time and give time for the region to get used to the change, she said.
'Just give us a few weeks, it will settle down,' she said.
More: Gov. Whitmer wants $3B for Michigan roads: Here's where it would come from
No. Even though westbound I-696 will be reconstructed, too, westbound travelers won't need a detour. Officials plan to simply shift the westbound traffic around parts of the freeway they are working on during the project.
The most heavily trafficked portion of the stretch is used by about 200,000 drivers daily, Cross said. The I-696 interchange with I-75 is among the most used in the state.
Sign up for our Daily Briefing newsletter today to get the Free Press in your inbox. ]
Road work. The road was built in the 1980s and is overdue for major work, the Free Press previously reported.
The state has been working on various phases of the 'Restore the Reuther' project, with other portions of I-696 already seeing a facelift and lane closures.
During this two-year stint, the closed section is expected to be rebuilt. Then in 2027, I-696 between I-75 and Dequindre Road will get some major work.
Bridges and drainage structures will be addressed, with 60 bridges expected to be repaired. That includes the plaza on the Church Street bridge in Oak Park home to playscapes and walking paths.
Prior reporting by Bill Laytner of the Free Press contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: I-696 closure in Michigan begins today: Map, what to know
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
5 days ago
- CBS News
Ramp metering traffic lights begin on I-96 in Oakland County
Traffic lights started operating on some entrance ramps to Interstate 96 in Metro Detroit Wednesday, providing directions that transportation officials call "ramp metering" at the merges. The flex route area on I-96 opened in March between Kent Lake Road and the I-275/I-696/M-5 interchange in Oakland County. While this traffic setup is new to Metro Detroit, there already is a flex route on US-23 in Livingston and Washtenaw counties. The ramp metering affects eight entrance maps along that area of I-96 between Novi and Milford roads, the Michigan Department of Transportation reported. The meters will start operation in yellow flash mode to remind drivers to be cautious. But eventually, the lights will use the traditional green/yellow/red lights seen on intersetion traffic signals to indicate when oncoming traffic can take its turn. Drivers will have to stop at the pavement line, then proceed one at a time onto the ramp, when the red lights are active. MDOT has posted a video on its YouTube channel explaining to drivers how ramp meters work. "Ramp meters have been used in many other states to reduce crashes and improve travel times by controlling the flow of traffic entering the freeway. By breaking up platoons of entering traffic, the need for drivers already on the freeway to slow down is reduced and vehicles can merge more smoothly onto the freeway," MDOT says. The above video originally aired on June 17.
CBS News
5 days ago
- CBS News
Truck boom strikes highway bridge in Dundee, closing M-50 for a couple of hours
I-96 flex route with new signals begin; police investigation in Monroe County; and more top stories I-96 flex route with new signals begin; police investigation in Monroe County; and more top stories I-96 flex route with new signals begin; police investigation in Monroe County; and more top stories M-50 under the U-23 bridge in Dundee, Michigan, was closed for over two hours overnight after a truck's lift boom struck the bridge. The collision happened about 10 p.m. Tuesday when a refuse hauler was westbound. The hydraulic lift boom was extended and with that, the vehicle struck the bridge, Dundee Police Department reported. First responders on the scene on M-50 at the US-23 bridge, where a westbound truck struck and damaged the bridge June 17, 2025. Dundee Police Department The impact scattered debris across M-50, which is known as Tecumseh Street in that area, and there was visible damage to that side of the bridge. First responders ordered both eastbound and westbound lanes closed to allow for cleanup and inspection. "The truck appears to be a total loss, but there are no reported injuries," police said. MIchigan Department of Transportation bridge inspectors were called to check on the bridge. Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Officers, Dundee Fire Department and Monroe County Sheriff's Office also responded to the scene. Shortly before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, MDOT bridge inspectors reported the bridge was safe to reopen and M-50 was back open in both directions.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
All lanes of I-75 shut down in Monroe County for vehicle fire
MONROE COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A vehicle fire on I-75 has led to the whole freeway being shut down, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. MDOT said on social media that all lanes on north and southbound I-75 are closed after Dixie Highway at Exit 15 due to a vehicle on fire. The road closed at 9:54 p.m. It is unknown when the highway will reopen.
