IONIA, Mich. — The third and final phase of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) major construction project on Interstate 96 is just weeks away from getting underway.
The three year long, $130 million project, will begin on April 13th as construction shifts to the eastbound lanes. MDOT says traffic will be redirected to the west side of the highway, reducing drivers to a single lane in each direction.
For residents like Bruce Bishop of Saranac, that shift brings back memories of heavy congestion and backed-up traffic on surrounding roads.
“The last two years have been unreal during the summer when they’re doing their construction,” Bishop said.
During the previous two phases of the I-96 construction, many drivers sought alternate routes to avoid delays, leading to a spike in traffic on secondary roads. Bishop says his home on Grand River Ave saw more traffic in the last two years than he’s seen in decades.
“We just saw the bumper-to-bumper traffic so that made it hard to get out of your driveway, you had to sit there and wait for someone that was nice to let you out,” he said.
The Ionia County Sheriff’s Office says it’s aware of traffic concerns and plans to increase patrols in areas that typically become problem spots during heavy construction traffic.
In a statement the department said, “Our secondary road patrol unit prioritizes problem spots, especially during periods of heavy traffic related to the project. We’re also continuing to work closely with MDOT, providing feedback to help identify and implement improvements.”
Officials say the added enforcement aims to improve safety and traffic flow on local roads impacted by detours and congestion.
But not everyone is totally frustrated by the construction. Chad Soper of Rockford says while the delays can be inconvenient, he sees the long-term benefit.
“It’s a part of improving infrastructure and moving forward, so we just kind of have to work with it,” Soper said.
However, some local businesses say the previous construction phases came with financial challenges.
Bill Fabiano, owner of Fabiano’s Corner Landing near the highway, said reduced traffic hurt customer numbers last year.
“A lot of them were off the road, they were detoured, so they were already detoured and behind schedule and wanted to get where they were going,” Fabiano said, “we didn’t see a lot of east and west travelers coming off of the expressway last year during construction.”
With the project expected to wrap up by winter, Fabiano is hopeful next summer will bring a rebound in travel and business.
“The expressway will be open both ways next summer, and hopefully we get that travel back and forth in the summertime,” he said.
Construction is scheduled to begin April 13th and is expected to last through the end of November.
For neighbors like Bishop, the inconvenience will be worth it once the work is complete. When asked how he’ll feel once the project wraps up, he didn’t hesitate: “I’ll be very happy.”
For more details on expected closures and traffic updates, you can click here.
