By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN — Construction on Michigan Avenue and the Southfield Freeway will begin on March 2 and run through the fall which could cause delays and rerouted paths for drivers.
According to a Michigan Department of Transportation press release, repairing six bridges near the Southfield and Michigan Avenue interchange will cost $12.7 million.
There will be multiple lane closures on both the road and freeway and two full weekend closures of the Southfield Freeway.
The northbound service drive will be closed for about three weeks, and the southbound service drive will be closed for about two weeks, the press release said.
Beginning at 9 a.m. March 2, northbound and southbound Southfield will be reduced to one lane under Michigan Avenue through the fall.
The following day, the southbound Southfield Service Drive will be closed from Michigan Avenue to Rotunda Drive for about two weeks, then will reopen to one lane through the fall. Also, the northbound Southfield Service Drive will be reduced to one lane.
In April, the northbound Southfield Service Drive will close for approximately three weeks and will reopen to one lane, the press release said.
During that same closure, the northbound Southfield ramp to Michigan Avenue also will be closed, but that closure date will be announced at a later date.
Eastbound and westbound Michigan Avenue over the Southfield Freeway will have one lane closed in each direction beginning March 2 to build crossovers in the median.
MDOT announced that in mid-March, bridge work will begin by reducing eastbound and westbound traffic from four lanes to two lanes and shifting this traffic onto one of the bridges while the other is repaired.
Impact of the construction could possibly include travel time for drivers, bus routes for Dearborn Public Schools and routes taken by the Dearborn Police and Fire departments.
DPS Communications Director David Mustonen said the district’s transportation department is hopeful the construction will have a limited impact on the bus routes since the buses don’t travel during the heaviest rush hour traffic.
“It will more than likely cause delays or the need to reroute some buses,” he said. “However, we really won’t know the total impact until we start running through the area during construction. Our drivers are very good about rerouting if necessary and once we see how this project impacts schedules then we will adjust accordingly.”
Calls and emails to the Police and Fire departments on possible impacts from the construction to service calls on ambulance and fire routes were not returned by publication.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected])