MDOT plans lane closures, detours for I-696 projects in Oakland County
A stretch of westbound Interstate 696 in Oakland County will be reduced to two lanes starting next week, the Michigan Department of Transportation has announced.
Starting at 7 a.m. Monday, I-696 will be down to two lanes from Lasher Road, east to Southfield Road. MDOT said the closure will allow crews to work on the median. The lane closure will continue through late July.
MDOT officials also advised drivers that from 9 p.m. Friday, May 9, until 5 a.m. Monday, May 19, a longer portion of I-696, from M-10 to I-75, will be closed altogether for the demolition of the Church Street plaza bridge in Oak Park. MDOT said "the extended closure time is required to allow crews to safely demolish 170 concrete beams and clean up debris."
During this closure, westbound traffic will be detoured via southbound I-75, westbound M-8 (Davison Highway) and northbound M-10 (Lodge Freeway), and back to I-696. A local westbound lane with access to Bermuda Street, M-1 (Woodward Avenue) and Coolidge Highway will be maintained during the closure.
All eastbound lanes of I-696, from I-75 to Dequindre Road, are already closed for MDOT's Restore the Reuther project. They will remain closed into fall 2027 for the extensive project, which includes a full rebuilding of the roadway, plus work on dozens of bridges and drainage structures.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that, by the end of this construction season, "we will have fixed, repaired or replaced nearly 24,500 lane miles of roads and 1,900 bridges.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: MDOT plans lane closures, detours for I-696 projects in Oakland County
