FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - It's spring, the orange cones are out, and construction season is officially underway in Michigan.
"A lot of this has to do with aging infrastructure," said Annette Shelton, an Associate Regional Engineer for Development for the Michigan Department of Transportation. "An effort to make our roads and bridges in good condition. While we are also addressing our conditions this is also a great opportunity for us to improve the operations and improve the safety of these roads and bridges at the same time."
In Flint, the early stages of construction are already underway on Southbound I-475 for the first phase of a larger reconstruction project. That includes prep work and staging for the larger project set to begin April 15.
Southbound I-475 will keep one lane open for the summer, but northbound lanes will close entirely starting the April 15, adding a extra few minutes to your commute.
"That'll be a complete reconstruct on 475 from the Flint River up to Carpenter Road," said Shelton. "We'll also be replacing a couple of bridges on 475 and then doing some work on some of the bridges over 475."
The project is set to last through November 15. If you have to head that way, you are advised to take I-69 West to I-75 and then north.
Meanwhile, in Bay County, the Mackinaw Road overpass is set to undergo a complete bridge reconstruction. It is the next phase of a project that began last year, taking US-10 down to just one lane in both directions.
"Along with that we will also be building roundabouts at the ramps, so Mackinaw road will be completely closed down for that work and there will be a detour," said Shelton.
Like the I-475 project, the Mackinaw Road project is set to begin on April 15 and go through November.
The Lafayette Bridge in Bay City is also going to be starting construction this summer. Right now, MDOT is still taking bids on the project. They hope to begin in early June.
For the full list of projects in your area, and how to get around them, you can visit MDOT's Mi Drive map here: https://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/MiDrive/map
