Michigan Notes

[afguy]

Detroit moves forward with plan to build three park caps over I-75 downtown

Project leaders say highways like I-75, I-375 and M-10 have long divided downtown from Midtown, Brush Park and Lower Cass. The caps are intended to reconnect neighborhoods, improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, reduce highway noise and visual impacts, and create new public gathering spaces.

The effort is being coordinated with the I-375 boulevard conversion on the east side of downtown.

Officials also pointed to heavy foot traffic and event activity in the area. The I-75 corridor near Little Caesars Arena, Comerica Park and Ford Field is one of the most visited areas in Michigan, with pedestrian crossings significantly higher than comparable freeway-divided downtowns in the state.

The study area spans I-75 from Third Avenue to Brush Street and includes three potential caps: a West Cap near Second Avenue, a Central Cap near Woodward Avenue and the entertainment district, and an East Cap closer to Brush Street.

The Central Cap is envisioned as the largest civic gathering space, potentially accommodating event lawns of up to 2,000 people depending on final placement.

Planners presented three location options for that cap, each with trade-offs related to sound buffering, access to Park Avenue and available programming space.

Traffic and mobility changes are also being studied, including protected bike lanes, pedestrian scramble crossings, designated pick-up and drop-off zones for events, possible lane reductions and adjustments near freeway ramps.

https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/2026/02/detroit-moves-forward-with-plan-to-build-three-park-caps-over-i-75-downtown.html

[The Ghostbuster]

The Interstate 75 Fisher Freeway through downtown looks like a good place to build freeway caps. I would also suggest capping Interstate 375 if they had chosen to reconstruct it as a freeway.

[Terry Shea]

Detroit moves forward with plan to build three park caps over I-75 downtown

Project leaders say highways like I-75, I-375 and M-10 have long divided downtown from Midtown, Brush Park and Lower Cass. The caps are intended to reconnect neighborhoods, improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, reduce highway noise and visual impacts, and create new public gathering spaces.

The effort is being coordinated with the I-375 boulevard conversion on the east side of downtown.

Officials also pointed to heavy foot traffic and event activity in the area. The I-75 corridor near Little Caesars Arena, Comerica Park and Ford Field is one of the most visited areas in Michigan, with pedestrian crossings significantly higher than comparable freeway-divided downtowns in the state.

The study area spans I-75 from Third Avenue to Brush Street and includes three potential caps: a West Cap near Second Avenue, a Central Cap near Woodward Avenue and the entertainment district, and an East Cap closer to Brush Street.

The Central Cap is envisioned as the largest civic gathering space, potentially accommodating event lawns of up to 2,000 people depending on final placement.

Planners presented three location options for that cap, each with trade-offs related to sound buffering, access to Park Avenue and available programming space.

Traffic and mobility changes are also being studied, including protected bike lanes, pedestrian scramble crossings, designated pick-up and drop-off zones for events, possible lane reductions and adjustments near freeway ramps.

https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/2026/02/detroit-moves-forward-with-plan-to-build-three-park-caps-over-i-75-downtown.html

Total waste of money!

[JREwing78]

A propoosed roundabout at M-21 and Scott Rd in St. Johns got a writeup in the Lansing State Journal. It's part of a $15 million reconstruction of M-21 in St. Johns. Scott Rd forms the border between the City of St. Johns and Bingham Township.

Probably the most affected business is the Country Store, at the NE NW corner of the intersection. While there's ample available land just west or just east of the intersection, the chances that the store owner will be reimbursed sufficiently to rebuild at or near the same location are pretty small. So, I certainly understand the owner's frustration.

OTOH, some of the "information" the folks interview provided is a bit suspect. While trucks do traverse M-21, and would clearly prefer to not have a roundabout, the idea that it's some kind of truck bypass of I-96 isn't borne out by the commercial traffic counts. About 350 heavy trucks per day traverse this part of M-21, and maybe 100 on the south leg of Scott Rd, v.s. over 6000 commercial vehicles per day on I-96 and I-69. 

Total traffic counts are 5500 vpd on M-21 west of Scott Rd, 7600 vpd on M-21 east of Scott Rd, and 3800 vpd on Scott Rd south of M-21 (no counts available north of M-21). Certainly there's merit in a stoplight replacing the blinker light here, but the traffic calming that will come from the improved intersection will be significant. M-21 is currently posted for 55 just east of Scott Rd. and 35 mph into St. Johns west of Scott Rd. The intersection is currently a 2-way stop for Scott Rd traffic.

Both the City of St. Johns and Bingham Township have passed resolutions advising they do NOT want a roundabout here, in favor of a 4-way stop or a stoplight instead.


Business owner, officials protest MDOT plan for roundabout in St. Johns
(behind paywall)
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2026/02/26/business-owner-officials-protest-mdot-plan-for-roundabout-in-st-johns/88859279007/

Video: https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/videos/news/local/2026/02/26/video-st-johns-store-owner-customers-speak-out-against-mdot-plan/88860419007/


MDOT's Planned M-21 Roundabout in St. Johns Sparks Community Backlash
https://witl.com/st-johns-m21-roundabout-opposition

[Flint1979]

Detroit already has a lot of vacant property. It sounds nice but isn't really needed. Just look at all the available space downtown and anything across I-75 really isn't even downtown. I also hate the term Midtown, it's the Cass Corridor and Brush Park and any Detroiter is going to continue to call it that. We'll also continue to call it the New Center area, North End and other neighborhood names rather than Midtown.

[afguy]

Looking through SEMCOG's latest TIP for 2026-2029, I see that MDOT is planning to spend $120 million to reconstruct I-94 between 8 Mile and 11 Mile in 2027. MDOT also plans to rebuild the I-96/M-39 Interchange in 2029 at a cost of $101 million.
https://maps.semcog.org/tip/

[Terry Shea]

Looking through SEMCOG's latest TIP for 2026-2029, I see that MDOT is planning to spend $120 million to reconstruct I-94 between 8 Mile and 11 Mile in 2027. MDOT also plans to rebuild the I-96/M-39 Interchange in 2029 at a cost of $101 million.
https://maps.semcog.org/tip/

Will they be using gold pavement? 

[The Ghostbuster]

Would it be necessary to widen all ramps between M-39 and Interstate 96 from one-lane to two-lanes?

[thenetwork]

Looking at the overhead Google maps, is this interchange -- including all the surface streets immediately surrounding the interchange -- similar to the High-Five interchange (I-635/US-75) in Dallas? 

Is there any way MDOT can reconfigure the uppermost ramps to go under I-96 and M-39 instead?

[JREwing78]

Looking at the overhead Google maps, is this interchange -- including all the surface streets immediately surrounding the interchange -- similar to the High-Five interchange (I-635/US-75) in Dallas? 

Is there any way MDOT can reconfigure the uppermost ramps to go under I-96 and M-39 instead?

In the same way that anything is possible, sure. But I wouldn't expect the replacement interchange to be dramatically different, with the need to take additional property to make that happen.

[vegas1962]

MDOT Removing Lodge Fwy Elmhurst Exit

MDOT has begun removing the dangerous Elmhurst Ave. off ramp from southbound Lodge Fwy (M-10) in Highland Park/Detroit. Work is expected to be complete by May.

[The Ghostbuster]

Will Exit 6A (Webb St.) be renumbered as Exit 6?

[wanderer2575]

Will Exit 6A (Webb St.) be renumbered as Exit 6?

I doubt it.  Not worth the hassle.  (As another example, when exit 51A For Woodward/John R was removed when the I-75 Fisher Freeway was reconstructed a couple decades ago, exits 51B and 51C were not renumbered.)

Webb Avenue should have been exit 6 to begin with because there is no exit 6B on that side.  Whoever determined the exit numbers made one sequence of numbers to fit both sides.

What seems oddball to me about this project is that the advance exit sequence signs showing Elmhurst Avenue are being replaced instead of just greening out that exit.  All the signs along M-10 are close to 20 years old and getting a little faded.  If this were any other region besides Metro, they would have already been replaced twice by now.

[JREwing78]

US 127 remains closed after pickup, SUV collide near Jefferson Road (from 2/16/2026)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/us-127-remains-closed-after-pickup-suv-collide-near-jefferson-road/ar-AA1Wt4bX

There's been a fair amount of chatter on social media recently about the ongoing safety concerns of the section of US-127 south of Jackson to US-12 and US-223. To put it in perspective, it's being asked to carry freeway levels of traffic (nearly 20,000 vehicles per day in 2025) while remaining basically a 2-lane highway. Here and there, the roadway has a two-way left turn lane or a 4-lane "passing lane" section.

Otherwise, US-127 south of Jackson today is the same 2-lane alignment it opened with in the early 1960s to replace a narrow, winding 2-lane segment (now named S. Jackson Rd). It resides on a 200' right-of-way all the way to US-12. MDOT had intended the road to be twinned but never completed the 2nd set of travel lanes.

Over the years, it's made band-aid attempts at improving safety. However, a stagnating economy and under-investment in roads in general has contributed to stalling any attempts at 4-laning this stretch of highway. This is despite regularly high traffic volumes well in excess of what a typical 2-lane highway is supposed to handle (7500-10000 vpd). 

This is despite the existence of traffic generators such as Michigan International Speedway. In order to manage traffic on race weekends or for concerts, local authorities turn the normally 2-lane highway into a 2+1 arrangement with a bunch of law enforcement and traffic cones.

At this point. it's pretty clear there's no massive cash infusions coming that would ever complete a Toledo to Jackson freeway. However, there is sufficient ROW available to perform a reconstruction of US-127 in one of several styles:

- The Never, ever gonna happen because we're too broke/cheap full freeway option. I'm naming it because, dammit, that's what it's supposed to be! Give me full interchanges at US-12, Vicary Rd (to service Cement City and MIS), and Jefferson Rd, plus one more between there and M-50 (Brooklyn Rd) for good measure. Install a frontage/backage road for the handful of properties left without access, and be done already! Get it done, and let the good folks in the region have a safe freeway connection to the rest of the state.

Yep, it's going to cost money. They might need more right-of-way. It's going to disrupt businesses. There's some good reasons MDOT let 60 years pass without anything more than a few band-aids. So, I suggest:

- The 4-lane divided boulevard option - Mimic roadways like M-37 SE of Grand Rapids, M-24 between Lapeer and Oxford, US-131 between Three Rivers and Schoolcraft, or M-59 around the north side of Howell. It would be a 4-lane divided highway posted for 55 mph with periodic one-way median crossovers (J-turns), but without direct median crossings (except for Jefferson and Vicary Rds). I would build interchanges at Jefferson Rd, Vicary Rd, and US-12. But those three could be signalized intersections initially - and be the only locations a direct median crossing is allowed.

This is a good compromise - one that would genuinely improve safety without locking out businesses from direct access. It requires no new right-of-way purchases. It also lets MDOT more gently transition traffic expecting a freeway into a slower-paced rural roadway, as US-127 eventually becomes at US-223. We can get rid of 90% of the traffic management nonsense that has to be deployed on MIS race days.

- The Bulls*** - you're not THAT broke option - 5-lane undivided - 2 lanes each way with an extra-wide two-way left turn lane on basically the same alignment that's there now, with 10' shoulders. Where there's no left turn needed from US-127, median rumble strips and/or concrete median barriers will help keep each direction of traffic on their side.

The inspiration for this is M-20 between Mount Pleasant and Midland, which receives comparable levels of mainly car traffic because of Central Michigan University and the Soaring Eagle resort. It acknowledges the need for 4 travel lanes as cheaply as humanly possible. We can get rid of the "passing lane" nonsense. It's not constantly changing roadway lane configurations.

We know MDOT can afford this. It requires no new right-of-way. It's not a heavy financial ask. On the off-chance that they ever choose to upgrade beyond this, these changes don't preclude a transition to a divided boulevard or *gasp* a freeway. 

[JREwing78]

A state senator introduced a bill to require drivers over 75 to retest every 4 years to keep their license valid. Drivers over 85 would be required to complete the tests yearly to keep their license.

Seniors react to Michigan bill mandating frequent driving tests for drivers 75 and older
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2026/03/26/seniors-react-to-michigan-bill-mandating-frequent-driving-tests-for-drivers-75-and-older/

[wanderer2575]

I saw this a few months ago and meant to post it but forgot.  It's not a reconstruction; it's not a widening; there is no safety improvement with the I-69 ramps.  But for awhile at least, the ride on I-75/US-23 through Flint won't be so bumpy.

Letting date 01/09/2026:

[Flint1979]

When are they ever going to repave M-54? I'd say from about I-69 to I-75 at it's southern terminus is one of the worst state highway's I have ever seen as far as pavement quality goes. I-75 between MM 115 and 125 is pretty bad too.

[Flint1979]

One side of St. Charles is pretty much shut down from getting to the other side. The M-52 bridge at the Bad River has water up to the bridge deck and is closed until at least Tuesday. The detour is a 11 mile/17 minute detour to the west of the village of St. Charles.

[vegas1962]

MDOT and local media are reporting numerous instances of roadways being washed out throughout northern Michigan due to excessive rainfall paired with spring snow melt and runoff. The most notable is the M-119 "Tunnel of Trees" which is closed with two separate areas washed out south of Cross Village. There is also significant flooding in practically every county in northern Michigan north of M-55.

Buck's Pond Dam, a small dam in Alcona County, failed Monday night, the water flowing into Hubbard Lake. The roadway over the dam was damaged but officials expect no other safety issues.

State engineers are also monitoring these dams: Cheboygan Dam, Upper Hiawatha Dam in Montmorency County, Hillman Dam in Montmorency County, Homestead Dam in Benzie County, Union Street Dam in Grand Traverse County, and Rugg Pond Dam in Kalkaska County.

In Cheboygan, a section of the city was evacuated following a levee breach in the Little Black River Watershed, separate from rising waters behind the Cheboygan Dam.

[JREwing78]

While less severe than the northern parts of the state, downstate Michigan has also had a lot of spring melt/rainfall issues, with numerous rivers at or nearing flood stage and various local roads washed out from failed culverts. 

In other news, as we're approaching the 6th anniversary of the Sanford Dam failure near Midland, the refilling of Sanford Lake began today. Work at Secord and Smallwood Dams continues, scheduled for completion later this year. Work on the Wixom dam is planned to be completed next year. 

Sanford Lake refill begins nearly six years after dam failure
https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/sanford-lake-refill-begins-nearly-six-years-dam-22205920.php

[wanderer2575]

The M-119 washout south of Cross Village (photo from the MDOT website):



The road at the other closed location has not yet been damaged but the slope is unstable.

[Flint1979]

While less severe than the northern parts of the state, downstate Michigan has also had a lot of spring melt/rainfall issues, with numerous rivers at or nearing flood stage and various local roads washed out from failed culverts.

In other news, as we're approaching the 6th anniversary of the Sanford Dam failure near Midland, the refilling of Sanford Lake began today. Work at Secord and Smallwood Dams continues, scheduled for completion later this year. Work on the Wixom dam is planned to be completed next year.

Sanford Lake refill begins nearly six years after dam failure
https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/sanford-lake-refill-begins-nearly-six-years-dam-22205920.php

Sanford Lake has been refilling for a while now. I go up there about 2-3 times a week.

[wanderer2575]

I was out tooling around today and saw that the northbound US-23 Welcome Center south of Dundee is closed.  The MI Drive online map indicates the facility is closed "until further notice."  Huh?  Why would a state that says it depends heavily on tourism close indefinitely a freeway welcome center?

I poked around and found a Facebook post (yeah, I know...) saying "I heard" two reasons:

• Water treatment using peroxide injection was deemed not approved by the local health department (the facility does not tie into Dundee city water and apparently has bad sulfer water)
• Building structure was deemed unsafe and funding has not been identified to replace it

I don't know whether either of these is true.  The MDOT website (including the News Releases section) says nothing about the closure.

[JCinSummerfield]

I can vouch for the sulfer water.  From Milan south through Dundee & Petersburg to further points south is one of the most sulfer contaminated water in the country.  I don't know why the Health department has a problem with peroxide treatment - hundreds/thousands of homes on the west side of Monroe County have peroxide treatment systems.

I don't know about the building's integrity, but I just read in our local paper that the ramp from US-23 to the rest area will be closed through 12/31/27.

[wanderer2575]

When in doubt, go to the source.  I e-mailed MDOT's University Region and received this prompt response:

"Thank you for reaching out on your concerns regarding the Dundee Welcome Center located on US 23 in Monroe County.  I appreciate your interest in Michigan's transportation system.  The Dundee Welcome Center has been closed since late fall of last year due to a facility issue related to the potable water system at the center.

"The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is working with a local governmental agency to bring a new waterline to the center so that potable water service can be restored for guest use and re-opening of the center.  Unfortunately, there isn't a defined timeline for re-opening as the project is in the beginning stages of design, and thus it will be closed indefinitely until the project is completed and water service can be restored."