MDOT Ready To Begin Tearing Up I-69 North Of Battle Creek
Another phase of the I-69 rebuilding project between I-94 and Lansing gets going next week. This involves a ten-mile stretch between Olivet and Charlotte. North and southbound traffic will be limited to one lane for the duration of the work. The project starts this coming Monday and is expected to continue through the middle of November.
A total of 25 miles of the freeway will be rebuilt over 4 years. The price tag is estimated at around $250 million. Initial work got underway last fall. According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, the project involves nearly every aspect of the freeway, including interchanges, bridges, and major connecting or intersecting roads. “Work will include reconstructing 22 miles of I-69 and six interchanges, replacing the 15 Mile Road bridge over I-94, repairing 26 bridges, and making drainage and safety improvements from south of I-94 in Marshall, Calhoun County, to Island Highway in Charlotte, Eaton County. In addition, crews will repave the Turkeyville Rest Area and carpool lot, and the Potterville Rest Area. The overall project is expected to be finished in fall 2023.”
MDOT says the new work starting up next week includes rebuilding some of the ramps at the interchanges with M-50, and Cochran Road. Also look for work beginning on bridges over the freeway for J Drive North, N Drive North, Garfield Road, Baseline Highway, Butterfield Highway, and Ainger Road. MDOT expects to keep a minimum of one lane open for each direction of travel on I-69 for the duration of this work phase, but we should always be on the lookout for the potential of unexpected short total closures while the work is going on. That sort of thing is not uncommon.