LOWELL TOWNSHIP, Mich. — After several weekends of backups, drivers on I-96 in eastern Kent County get a break from lane closures over the Labor Day weekend. But the traffic jams will return after the holiday weekend.
The Michigan Department of Transportation says eastbound and westbound I-96 still needs pavement work, and lane closures will return Tuesday, September 2, at 8 p.m., and will continue round the clock until Friday, September 5, at 5 a.m.
Given the long backups at the same locations when lane closures were instituted, MDOT is encouraging drivers to wait until the last minute to merge to a single lane in the construction zone. This is called a “zipper merge.” It’s common for drivers to get over into the through lane early, resulting in long backups way before the actual lane closure.
