KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Drivers taking I-94 between Sprinkle Road and Lovers Lane won’t see the end of this year’s construction until January 2022. The current phase of the project was originally scheduled to end this week.
The Michigan Department of Transportation announced Monday the extension of the current phase of construction is due to delays caused by COVID, delays in delivery of building materials, and the redesign of bridge supports.
Currently, eastbound drivers on I-94 shift over to the westbound side of the freeway while the eastbound pavement has been replaced and a number of bridges have been removed or rehabilitated.
MDOT said the replacement of the I-94 bridge over Portage Road is delayed because of concerns about the stability of the current design of the bridge beams. Redesigning the beams is underway.
Other delays occurred in parts of the project involving utilities and the nearby airport.
The goal of the project is to widen I-94 to three lanes in each direction between Sprinkle Road and Lovers lane, replacing the pavement in the process, along with rebuilding ramps and realigning the interchange at Portage Road. A similar project several years ago widened I-94 between Lovers Lane and US-131.
Also, the original plan had the westbound lanes to be replaced with three lanes in 2022. That plan is unchanged, with construction scheduled again in spring 2022.
