GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Two major construction projects will affect drivers who normally use Interstate 196 in downtown Grand Rapids and on the east side of the city during 2021.
I-196 eastbound bridge over the Grand River will get deck replacement and other repairs, so the bridge will be closed during the project from April through July. Traffic will be detoured north on US-131, then east on I-96.
To the east, the renovation of I-196 between Fuller Avenue and the East Beltline will be completed with the replacement of the pavement between Fuller Avenue and Maryland Avenue. The Plymouth Avenue bridges will also be replaced.
That section of I-196 will not be closed, but some traffic will likely only get one lane.
“They're going to use lane closures and shifts,” says MDOT Grand Region spokesman John Richard, “So they'll be able to maintain traffic while they rip up that side of the road and lay down new pavement, and then they'll just switch it to the other side.”
The project will run from April through November, but when it’s done I-196 will have three new lanes in each direction between Fuller Avenue and I-96, connecting to the three lanes that were built during the Fix on I-196 in 2010.
