A Michigan Department of Transportation representative explains the upcoming Restore I-94 project during a March 27 open house held at the Allen Park Department of Public Services building.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
Restore I-94, a three-year, $353 million project, was explained by Michigan Department of Transportation officials during a March 27 open house at the Allen Park Department of Public Services Building.
The 12.7-mile project will run from Wayne Road in Romulus to Schaefer Road in Dearborn, and will pass through the cities of Taylor, Dearborn Heights, Allen Park and Melvindale.
The construction work will begin in early 2026, and is projected to run through mid-2029, with two lanes remaining open in each direction, interrupted only by the placement of construction barriers. Water and cultivation work will occur in 2030 and 2031. The bulk of the work should be done by 2028.
Work will begin on the westbound side first, with two eastbound lanes and two westbound lanes on the current east I-94 roadway. When work is completed on the westbound side, traffic and construction will be flipped.
Work will continue during the winter months, and access to Detroit Metropolitan Airport will be maintained throughout the project.
When work is being done on exit and entrance ramps, they will be closed for about eight weeks, with the exception of the Ecorse Road exit, which will be closed and detoured.
At the Schaefer Road exit to the Ford Rouge Plant Gate 10, access will be maintained throughout the project.
The project is divided into five segments. Segment 1 runs from Wayne Road to Middlebelt Road; Segment 2 extends from Middlebelt Road to Beech Daly Road; Segment 3 spans from Beech Daly to Pelham Road; Segment 4 covers Pelham to Oakwood Boulevard; and Segment 5 focuses on the Schaefer Road exit that provides access to the Rouge Plant.
MDOT Project Manager Jeff Horne said bids will likely be awarded in November, with work beginning in January 2026.
“There is a lot of work that is not weather-dependent, such as cutting trees and some of our prep work,” he said.
Horne said that while the project is more geared toward the total reconstruction from Wayne to Beech Daly roads, the section of I-94 east of the Southfield Freeway, will have the pavement removed and replaced.
He said there was some bridgework done near the airport in 2019, and in 2004 and 2005 some sections of I-94 that are part of the project were rebuilt, which was the last major overhaul.
Horne said it hasn’t been decided yet if the new roadway surface will be concrete or asphalt.
A map of the Restore I-94 project shows the five segments, spanning from the west side of Detroit Metropolitan Airport to the Ford Rouge Plant exit, with work beginning in 2026 and ending in 2029, from Wayne Road in Romulus to Schaefer Road in Dearborn.
“It’s going to go through an alternative pavement bid, so we’re giving the contractor four different options to build,” he said. “They are going to pick the cheapest option, and then we are going to go with it.”
Horne said the “cheapest option” refers to cost, not the structural aspect.
“It could either be asphalt or concrete, cement-treated permeable base, or not cement-treated permeable base,” he said. “The contractor really has four options to choose from to see what we are going to build out here, so the new section of pavement will be able to withstand the current loads and meet current guidelines.”
Horne acknowledged that because asphalt and concrete roadways have different lifespans, that is factored into the equation of the lifecycle cost analysis of the pavement.
“MDOT runs a lifecycle cost analysis, and that determines how thick the pavement will be, and then we use that pavement, and the contractor will select either concrete or asphalt,” he said.
Horne said most new freeway surfaces are concrete, but a lot of the newer ones go through the alternative pavement bid, and it depends on the year, as well as supply and demand.
“It’s a desperately needed improvement to the freeway,” he said. “We are going to modify the Ecorse/I-94 interchange, so it’s going to be much more efficient, much safer, it’s going to have a smoother road, and it’s going to be safer for all motorists that use it.”
Horne acknowledged that the project will impact traffic.
“Right now, it’s a predominantly three-lane each direction freeway, and it will be down to two lanes in each direction, so you’re going to essentially lose a lane of traffic,” he said. “It could be congested, but we’re not closing access to the motorists.”
Horne said Restore I-94 is a large job in length and price.
“This is roughly a $350 million job, so it’s a major job, and it is a commitment that MDOT is making to the community to ensure smooth and safe roadways,” he said.
Horne said the project has local, state and federal funding.
“We don’t anticipate federal cuts affecting this job, but this job is predominately funded by the Rebuild Michigan program,” he said. “Governor (Gretchen) Whitmer signed that into law in 2021, so a lot of it is Rebuilding Michigan money, but there are some federal dollars tied to it.”
Another aspect of the project includes a proposed noise berm along the westbound I-94 exit ramp to Pelham Road, which MDOT officials said would be subject to a noise-impact analysis, and whether it will be effective, constructible – not impacting drainage, utilities or safety – and economical, based on the number of residents it would impact.
Existing wetlands would be displaced at the new Ecorse Road/I-94 interchange, so to mitigate the impact, new offsite wetlands would be created south of the site.
MDOT officials contend that floodplain storage will not be reduced by the I-94 project, and the culverts proposed to carry streams under the roadway will be larger than the existing culverts.
Polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS contamination, was investigated along the project, and MDOT officials said they are working with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy to mitigate any worries.
MDOT also indicated that it will replace any trees removed during the construction.
For more information, go to restore94.com. To contact MDOT, call 313-375-2400 or send an email to [email protected].