GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Parts of US-131 will be completely closed during the 2024 road construction season.
Those projects will be the most disruptive for drivers during an orange barrel season that will be very busy for the Michigan Department of Transportation.
The projects previewed here are all in the MDOT Grand Region, which includes Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo, Oceana, and Osceola counties.
The start and end dates are yet to be announced.
US-131
The ramp from northbound US-131 to I-96 (and to Alpine Avenue) will be closed for two months for bridge repairs. The bridge carries traffic over the southbound lanes of 131, West River Drive, and a railroad line. The detour will be to continue north on 131, exit at West River Drive, enter 131 southbound and exit to I-96 eastbound or westbound. Westbound 96 will get you to Alpine Avenue.
South of downtown Grand Rapids, two long bridges carry US-131 over Plaster Creek between 28th Street and Burton Street. When work begins on the bridges, that part of 131 will be closed: first, northbound between 28th Street and Burton Street, then southbound between Burton and 28th. Each closure will be separate and last for three weeks.
These closures will be particularly disruptive, because there’s more traffic on this part of 131 than any other road in West Michigan. MDOT will recommend getting around the closure using M-6, I-96, and I-196, which will take some extra time. Heavy traffic and delays can be expected on Division Avenue.
Drivers who are used to road projects with only lane closures may wonder why West Michigan’s busiest freeway will get shut down.
“If you do a full closure, it's safer for the workers, it's safer for traffic, you get it done faster,” says MDOT Grand Region communications representative John Richard. If you just close lanes, “it’s really going to come to a crawl during peak hours.”
More lane closures can also be expected on US-131 between 28th Street and Pearl Street, as MDOT plans pavement repairs this year.
Another project on US-131 take two years to complete. The work will see the pavement torn up and replaced between 76th Street and 100th Street, and a new weave-merge lane will be added between 84th and 76th streets. A weave-merge lane adds a lane on the right that connects an entrance ramp with the next exit ramp. This creates more room for drivers coming on board the freeway and more room for drivers exiting.
One side of 131 will be rebuilt in 2024, then the other side in 2025.
I-96
A major project on I-96 in Ionia County will begin with just minor disruptions in 2024, then complete replacement of some of the pavement in 2025 and 2026.
This year, there will be lane closures for building crossover lanes for traffic shifts just west of the Saranac Rest Area and M-66. And there will be repairs to the Jordan Lake Road bridge over I-96.
M-6
Poor pavement conditions will be addressed this year on M-6 just south of I-96. The ramps to and from I-96 will get joint repairs to the concrete, then all will be resurfaced. Lane closures should be all that’s required.
I-196 BUSINESS LOOP
The I-196 Business Loop is the divided highway that connects I-196 with US-31, and up until now traffic has been rolling over the original pavement laid down decades ago. This year, a lot of repairs to that pavement will be applied between US-31 and 88th Avenue, finished off by repaving.
US-31 BUSINESS/SEAWAY DRIVE
The bridge replacement project on Seaway Drive will be completed in mid-summer 2024. The first of two bridges was completed in the fall, but instead of taking the winter off, contractors and MDOT decided to continue work through the winter so the traffic disruptions at Black Creek, which feeds Mona Lake, will end early, likely in July.
There will be many small maintenance projects during the construction season, but those are the biggest plan from MDOT.
Follow state construction on Michigan’s highways using the MIDrive web site.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
