US 31 freeway gap in Michigan finally will be filled (well 1 of them anyway)

[skluth]

Awright!!!! But Indiana is going to have a heckuva fight on its hands getting the I-67 moniker  because I guy named Murtha wants it in Pennsylvania

The only way they're going to get the I-67 designation is if they cheat and write it into another bill like they did with I-99.  Somebody needs to teach these Pennsylvania politicians how to count. 

Last thing Pennsylvania needs is another interstate way out of place. If there is ever going to be an I-67 it should be in Indiana and Michigan. If they want US 219 as an interstate push for a 3 digit number.

Wow! Is 10 years 4 months the longest gap to get a topic bump here?

[aboges26]

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9621_11008_92734---,00.html

It's happening.

[Terry Shea]

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9621_11008_92734---,00.html

It's happening.

Wow!  MDOT actually updated their website.  Did they get some new blood?

[nwi_navigator_1181]

They're not delaying this any further. In two years, one of the most talked about freeway gaps will be filled.

Full freeway from Plymouth to Grand Rapids. It'll be nice when it is completed.

[aboges26]

They're not delaying this any further. In two years, one of the most talked about freeway gaps will be filled.

Full freeway from Plymouth to Grand Rapids. It'll be nice when it is completed.

Slightly disingenuous to call it a full freeway between those points due to the interchange design, but free-flowing nonetheless and it is a good thing!

[X99]

They're not delaying this any further. In two years, one of the most talked about freeway gaps will be filled.

Full freeway from Plymouth to Grand Rapids. It'll be nice when it is completed.

Slightly disingenuous to call it a full freeway between those points due to the interchange design, but free-flowing nonetheless and it is a good thing!

Full freeway with a southbound TOTSO.

Also, the OpenStreetMap proposal lines still show a full cloverleaf for the I-94/I-94BL/US-31 interchange.

[sparker]

They're not delaying this any further. In two years, one of the most talked about freeway gaps will be filled.

Full freeway from Plymouth to Grand Rapids. It'll be nice when it is completed.

Slightly disingenuous to call it a full freeway between those points due to the interchange design, but free-flowing nonetheless and it is a good thing!

Full freeway with a southbound TOTSO.

Also, the OpenStreetMap proposal lines still show a full cloverleaf for the I-94/I-94BL/US-31 interchange.

Question:  do the latest proposal schematics/maps still show C/D lanes on I-94 through the proposed US 31/BL94 cloverleaf?

[Scottb5411]

Great to see this getting the go ahead 

[edwaleni]

Glad they got this going.  The earlier proposal to cap it at Napier was about as ridiculous as one could get.

I am not sure why it is important to eliminate the ramps on I-94BL and Crystal Ave. A stoplight? Really? Is the AADT on the loop (Main Street) that low? It was put there for access to SW Michigan Regional Airport (Ross Field). But if it is between a stoplight and a roundabout (the alternate) I would prefer the stoplight. I see too many accidents on roundabouts, and watching 40 foot semi-trailers negotiate them as of late has been even worse.

Still think it should have connected with I-196, but I am sure the politics of Benton Harbor and landowners didn't allow it.

Funny that they waited until I-94 was falling apart here so they could bundle the entire project as one.

Guess they did the best with what they had.

[sparker]

Glad they got this going.  The earlier proposal to cap it at Napier was about as ridiculous as one could get.

I am not sure why it is important to eliminate the ramps on I-94BL and Crystal Ave. A stoplight? Really? Is the AADT on the loop (Main Street) that low? It was put there for access to SW Michigan Regional Airport (Ross Field). But if it is between a stoplight and a roundabout (the alternate) I would prefer the stoplight. I see too many accidents on roundabouts, and watching 40 foot semi-trailers negotiate them as of late has been even worse.

Still think it should have connected with I-196, but I am sure the politics of Benton Harbor and landowners didn't allow it.

Funny that they waited until I-94 was falling apart here so they could bundle the entire project as one.

Guess they did the best with what they had.

IIRC, it was an endangered species located in the wetlands south of the I-94/196 trumpet that put the kibosh on a direct connection more than Benton Harbor politics.  Still think they could conceivably have carved out room for a WB 94>SB 31 flyover, but it looks like a cookie-cutter loop.  Better than nothing, I suppose!

[edwaleni]

Glad they got this going.  The earlier proposal to cap it at Napier was about as ridiculous as one could get.

I am not sure why it is important to eliminate the ramps on I-94BL and Crystal Ave. A stoplight? Really? Is the AADT on the loop (Main Street) that low? It was put there for access to SW Michigan Regional Airport (Ross Field). But if it is between a stoplight and a roundabout (the alternate) I would prefer the stoplight. I see too many accidents on roundabouts, and watching 40 foot semi-trailers negotiate them as of late has been even worse.

Still think it should have connected with I-196, but I am sure the politics of Benton Harbor and landowners didn't allow it.

Funny that they waited until I-94 was falling apart here so they could bundle the entire project as one.

Guess they did the best with what they had.

IIRC, it was an endangered species located in the wetlands south of the I-94/196 trumpet that put the kibosh on a direct connection more than Benton Harbor politics.  Still think they could conceivably have carved out room for a WB 94>SB 31 flyover, but it looks like a cookie-cutter loop.  Better than nothing, I suppose!

One idea I thought they might propose was a side by side highway that ran along I-94 and I-196. Acting almost like express lanes so traffic to US-31 could segregate early and differentiate it. This would still permit access to I-94BL by all routes and not attempt to place all 3 routes on a single 4 lane ROW.

[sparker]

Glad they got this going.  The earlier proposal to cap it at Napier was about as ridiculous as one could get.

I am not sure why it is important to eliminate the ramps on I-94BL and Crystal Ave. A stoplight? Really? Is the AADT on the loop (Main Street) that low? It was put there for access to SW Michigan Regional Airport (Ross Field). But if it is between a stoplight and a roundabout (the alternate) I would prefer the stoplight. I see too many accidents on roundabouts, and watching 40 foot semi-trailers negotiate them as of late has been even worse.

Still think it should have connected with I-196, but I am sure the politics of Benton Harbor and landowners didn't allow it.

Funny that they waited until I-94 was falling apart here so they could bundle the entire project as one.

Guess they did the best with what they had.

IIRC, it was an endangered species located in the wetlands south of the I-94/196 trumpet that put the kibosh on a direct connection more than Benton Harbor politics.  Still think they could conceivably have carved out room for a WB 94>SB 31 flyover, but it looks like a cookie-cutter loop.  Better than nothing, I suppose!

One idea I thought they might propose was a side by side highway that ran along I-94 and I-196. Acting almost like express lanes so traffic to US-31 could segregate early and differentiate it. This would still permit access to I-94BL by all routes and not attempt to place all 3 routes on a single 4 lane ROW.

Apparently those wetlands cited as the reason for deleting the original connector are centered around the creek that passes under I-94 just to the SW of the I-196 interchange; widening the facility at that point in a fashion that would essentially double the ROW width would pose similar issues to the original problem.  A couple of lanes of additional width would be tolerable; much more than that and the project might evoke more opposition -- welcome to freeway design in the 21st century.   It's likely MDOT will simply stick to the already approved plans in order to avoid revisiting any strictures or limitations.   

[Terry Shea]

Has construction on the final phase started or was it delayed due to Covid-19?

[hobsini2]

Umm. This is what they came up with for "completing the gap" of US 31? Christ. This is silly. They are tying it into Bus 94 Exit 33 as a parclo. NB 31 does not stop nor does SB 31. However, the NB 31 to WB 94 and EB Bus 94 to EB 94 ramps are left turns. They have enough ROW to make it a cloverleaf.
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_I-94-US31_RollPlot_FullLayout_656001_7.pdf

[sparker]

Umm. This is what they came up with for "completing the gap" of US 31? Christ. This is silly. They are tying it into Bus 94 Exit 33 as a parclo. NB 31 does not stop nor does SB 31. However, the NB 31 to WB 94 and EB Bus 94 to EB 94 ramps are left turns. They have enough ROW to make it a cloverleaf.
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_I-94-US31_RollPlot_FullLayout_656001_7.pdf

Looks like they further "modified" it (more like downgraded it) from the original full cloverleaf plans.  Unless the EB Biz 94>EB 94 left turn separates from the main lanes before the SB US 31 loop feeds traffic to those lanes there's no way this can be considered truly a freeway-freeway connection -- or even "free flowing".  Maybe MDOT is emulating recent Caltrans activities and just doesn't give a shit -- or the agency bean-counters stuck their necks (or private parts) into the process and sliced off one more feature. 

[JREwing78]

It's not awesome, but WBD I-94 to SBD US-31 will be free-flowing. The stoplight will be just for EBD BL I-94 traffic turning onto EBD I-94. It's still a vast improvement over the current detour on Napier Ave. If traffic levels ever rise far enough to warrant it, the ROW is there for a flyover movement.

[sparker]

It's not awesome, but WBD I-94 to SBD US-31 will be free-flowing. The stoplight will be just for EBD BL I-94 traffic turning onto EBD I-94. It's still a vast improvement over the current detour on Napier Ave. If traffic levels ever rise far enough to warrant it, the ROW is there for a flyover movement.

A cowpath along the proposed US 31 alignment would be an improvement over the Napier detour.  I for one would like to see some sort of official explanation why the interchange design was "downsized" from the one published only a couple of years ago.  Parclos simply aren't suitable for freeway-to-freeway interchanges regardless of lane configuration. 

[wanderer2575]

It's not awesome, but WBD I-94 to SBD US-31 will be free-flowing. The stoplight will be just for EBD BL I-94 traffic turning onto EBD I-94. It's still a vast improvement over the current detour on Napier Ave. If traffic levels ever rise far enough to warrant it, the ROW is there for a flyover movement.

A cowpath along the proposed US 31 alignment would be an improvement over the Napier detour.  I for one would like to see some sort of official explanation why the interchange design was "downsized" from the one published only a couple of years ago.  Parclos simply aren't suitable for freeway-to-freeway interchanges regardless of lane configuration.

It wasn't "a couple of years ago"; the original Selected Alternative (full eight-ramp cloverleaf) was specified in the FHWA's Record of Decision issued in August 2004.  C/D lanes weren't a thing back then; adding them now would not only increase cost but would require additional ROW that might not be available, especially along I-94.  Also changed since 2004:  BL I-94 to/from the west is being downgraded from a divided expressway so those connections really need not be freeway-to-freeway.

I'm not exactly defending MDOT; I would love to see a flyover for southbound US-31 traffic.  Bottom line is that the funding isn't there.  The US-31 movements at least will be free-flowing; albeit not ideally, but an improvement over what's there now.  It's certainly better than what's planned for the I-94/US-127 interchange in Jackson.  The southbound US-127 freeway-to-freeway connection is not free-flowing (not only a loop ramp but also a traffic signal) and that won't change when the planned diverging diamond is built.

[sprjus4]

It wasn't "a couple of years ago"; the original Selected Alternative (full eight-ramp cloverleaf) was specified in the FHWA's Record of Decision issued in August 2004.  C/D lanes weren't a thing back then

Not a thing in this particular project or in general? C/D lanes have been a thing and used since the 1980s.

[Henry]

It's not awesome, but WBD I-94 to SBD US-31 will be free-flowing. The stoplight will be just for EBD BL I-94 traffic turning onto EBD I-94. It's still a vast improvement over the current detour on Napier Ave. If traffic levels ever rise far enough to warrant it, the ROW is there for a flyover movement.

A cowpath along the proposed US 31 alignment would be an improvement over the Napier detour.  I for one would like to see some sort of official explanation why the interchange design was "downsized" from the one published only a couple of years ago.  Parclos simply aren't suitable for freeway-to-freeway interchanges regardless of lane configuration.

It wasn't "a couple of years ago"; the original Selected Alternative (full eight-ramp cloverleaf) was specified in the FHWA's Record of Decision issued in August 2004.  C/D lanes weren't a thing back then; adding them now would not only increase cost but would require additional ROW that might not be available, especially along I-94.  Also changed since 2004:  BL I-94 to/from the west is being downgraded from a divided expressway so those connections really need not be freeway-to-freeway.

I'm not exactly defending MDOT; I would love to see a flyover for southbound US-31 traffic.  Bottom line is that the funding isn't there.  The US-31 movements at least will be free-flowing; albeit not ideally, but an improvement over what's there now.  It's certainly better than what's planned for the I-94/US-127 interchange in Jackson.  The southbound US-127 freeway-to-freeway connection is not free-flowing (not only a loop ramp but also a traffic signal) and that won't change when the planned diverging diamond is built.

I'd call this a semi-Breezewood, but at least they'll build the connection when the time is right.

[roadgeek]

https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/michigan/after-nearly-20-years-us-31-freeway-will-get-connected-to-i-94?fbclid=IwAR19c_sqzvrnPd8R0EavDhDyR71435M01RNL5YWh5K9QL22TiFGxdXH294E

BENTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Usually, when a freeway ends, it connects to another freeway or it becomes a city street. For US-31 in Berrien County, the freeway ends in woods and weeds.

That's about to change.

Work is already underway on I-94 in Benton Township on a project that will take three years — through 2022 — to connect the unfinished US-31 freeway to I-94.

The original vision for the US-31 freeway was to connect I-94 and I-196 with the I-90/I-80 Indiana Toll Road in South Bend. Construction began in 1981, but the freeway was never finished.

Today, the US-31 freeway stops a few miles short of the interchange where I-94 meets I-196. Drivers are required to use Napier Avenue to get between I-94 and the US-31 freeway.

Construction was halted in 2002 when it was determined that if the freeways were connected as originally planned, it would lead to the destruction of the habitat of the Mitchell's satyr butterfly, an endangered species that is only found in small areas of southern Michigan and northern Indiana. The same butterfly or one very closely related to the Mitchell's satyr butterfly is found in tiny areas of Alabama and Mississippi.

The Michigan Department of Transportation came up with an alternative plan, but the project hit another major snag.

"Before we could get the wheels turning again, Governor Granholm issued the Preserve First Program, which essentially ended all expansion of our transportation infrastructure,"  notes MDOT Southwest Region spokesperson Nick Schirrippa. "So, no new highways were to be built unless they got special permission. This one did not qualify for some time."

The wheels are turning again.

"This project is to finish that connection of US-31 to I-94,"  says Schirripa. "We're rebuilding two interchanges and reconstructing a little over three miles of I-94."

Big machines are currently working along I-94 near the place where the new freeway will connect and on E. Main Street. Beginning in spring 2021, the heavy lifting begins:

New pavement beginning on US-31.
New bridges begun for roads over the new section of freeway.
Realignment of the interchange where US-31 will meet I-94 and E. Main Street, with new ramps.
Reconstruct three miles of the westbound lanes of I-94.
Construction on local streets affected by the overall project.
Begin construction of new bridges over the new part of the US-31 freeway.
Rebuild bridges or build new bridges over I-94.
The project will be completed in 2022:

Finish the new section of US-31 and the interchange at I-94.
Rebuild eastbound lanes of I-94.
Add a new eastbound lane that will connect the new I-94/US-31 interchange with I-196.
The project will cost a total of $121.5 million over three years.

[NWI_Irish96]

Can we get this merged into this thread? https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=18276.msg2156265#msg2156265

[silverback1065]

They need to finish m231 too

[roadgeek]

Can we get this merged into this thread? https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=18276.msg2156265#msg2156265

That thread is quite old.

[silverback1065]

i don't understand why they would make this interchange like this, why not make a proper freeway to freeway connection? mdot just half steps everything