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Michigan Department of Transportation (M-DOT):



US-131 between West River Dr. (Comstock Park) and 10 Mile Rd. (Rockford).

April 30, 2008 — Southbound US-131 splits into "local" and "express" before 10 Mile Rd. Left lane is the "express" lane, jump the median, next stop I-96 (no exits at 10 Mile, Post or West River). Right lane is "local," with off-ramps at 10-Mile and West River Dr.
    Off-ramp from southbound US-131 to Post Dr. is closed for reconstruction, until June 10.
    On-ramp from 10 Mile Rd. to southbound US-131 is closed for reconstruction, until June 10.
    MDOT is rebuilding the southbound side. Northbound was done last year. Southbound ramps will all be rebuilt, too, but scheduled so that two consecutive ramps are not closed at the same time.

US-131 in southern Kent County: night work

May 9, 2008 — US-131 between 76th St. (Exit 75) and the Allegan-Kent County line, south of 100th St. (Exit 72) gets a one-lane-squeeze both ways, 8 p.m. through 6 a.m. weeknights, through early June, for pavement repairs.
    Ramps at 76th, 84th and 100th will close off-and-on, so watch for posted detours.

US-131 in Portage

April 25, 2008 — US-131 is down to one lane both ways between Center Ave. (Q Ave., Exit 31) and U Ave. (near Shaver Rd.), until May 23.
    Originally planned to end on May 5. Left lane is closed, round the clock, for repairs.
    South of Shaver Rd., US-131 is not a limited access freeway. It has a grassy "vee" median, but there are residential and commercial driveways and many crossovers, and the occasional traffic light.

US-131 and Ford (I-196) junction: ramp closed

May 9, 2008 — Eastbound Ford (I-196) ramp to southbound US-131 is closed. The ramp above, northbound to westbound, opened early Friday morning.
    M-DOT projects opening the eastbound to southbound ramp at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14.
    Posted detour: go north to Ann St., flip around and come back.
    For semi-trucks, this detour is best. For commuters in passenger cars, there are other ways that may work better. Think about Market Ave., Lake Michigan Dr., or College Ave. — maybe even the Henry Freeway (M-6).

Ford (I-196) through Jenison and Grandville

May 9, 2008 — On-ramp from Chicago Dr. to eastbound Ford (I-196) is scheduled to close at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 10, until mid-November.
    Use the on-ramps from Wilson Ave. (28th St., M-11) or 44th St.

May 7, 2008 — Eastbound Ford (I-196) is down to one lane from Kenowa Ave. overpass to 28th St. (Wilson Ave., M-11), round-the-clock, until mid-November.
    MDOT "suggests" taking the Henry (M-6) east to US-131, and take US-131 into downtown. Good advice, especially if you're driving a big rig.

May 7, 2008 — Westbound Ford (I-196) off-ramps to Chicago Dr. (Jenison, M-120, Exit 69) are closed. Off-ramp to eastbound Chicago Dr. will open next week, but the ramp to westbound Chicago Dr. will be closed until mid-November.
    Westbound jumps the median, but keeps two lanes open. They're tight and tend to gum up at the split.

May 7, 2008 — M-DOT is building two new ramps to connect the Ford to Baldwin St. Project will run through construction season of 2009. When it's done, there will be a new off-ramp from westbound, and a new on-ramp to eastbound.
    Last year was for work on Baldwin St., Main St. and local streets in “old town Jenison,” which included a new entrance to the Grandville wastewater treatment. Chicago Dr. was repaved last year, because it'll carry some detour load.

South Haven: Ford (I-196, US-31) at Phoenix St.

April 11, 2008 — M-DOT will rehabilitate Phoenix St. bridge over the Ford, starting Monday, April 14, through September.
    Ford (I-196, US-31) will be down to one lane both ways near Phoenix St. (Exit 20), for the whole project, once the barriers are up.
    Above, Phoenix will also be down to one lane both ways, and the ramp from eastbound Phoenix to northbound Ford will be closed.

Saugatuck-Douglas: Ford (I-196, US-31) approaching Kalamazoo River

April 25, 2008 — Ford (I-196, US-31) will be down to one lane for three miles, starting near the Douglas exit (68th St., Blue Star Highway, Exit 36), from Monday, May 12, until the end of June.
    M-DOT says they'll open it for Memorial Day weekend.
    It's for concrete repairs. Project was delayed from initial start date, and expanded; originally planned to have both lanes open for weekends. But apparently it turned into a bigger, more involved operation the more they looked into it. (Every homeowner knows that THAT's like.)

Benton Harbor–St. Joseph: I-94 over the St. Joseph River

April 21, 2008 — I-94 will be down to one lane both ways betweeen Niles Rd. (M-63, Exit 27) and M-139 (Exit 28), mostly on four consecutive weekends, starting next Monday, April 28, through May 23, for joint and bridge deck repairs over the St. Joseph River.
    Both sides will have a one-lane-squeeze from 7 p.m. on Fridays to 6 a.m. on Mondays. During the week, MDOT plans to have open two of the three lanes both ways, but it's possible that off-peak hours will have extra lanes closed.
    They're doing it this way to try to save rush hours and at the same time get it done before the Memorial Day weekend. Project cost is $100,000.

Kalamazoo–Battle Creek: I-94 between Galesburg and Helmer Rd., night work

April 25, 2008 — I-94 between Shafer Rd. (35th St., Exit 85) and Helmer Rd. (3 Mile Rd., Exit 95) will be resurfaced, with concrete repairs and guard-rail upgrades, and ramp repairs, starting Monday, May 5, through late August.
    Most of the lane closings will be at night. Expect a one-lane-squeeze from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., on Sundays through Thursdays. Also on four weekends starting May 9, one-lane-squeeze from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday. If they can get enough done, all lanes will be open on weekends after Memorial Day.
    This will cost $11.1 million.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2008
CONTACT: Julie Hurley, MDOT Office of Communications, 269-208-7829

MDOT to begin work May 5 on I-94 in Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties

April 25, 2008 -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will begin work Monday, May 5, on an $11.1 million project on I-94 from 40th Street in Kalamazoo County to Helmer Road in Calhoun County.
    The project includes 5.6 miles of hot mix asphalt overlay, concrete pavement repairs under bridges, guardrail upgrades, and ramp improvements.
    "This stretch of I-94 is certainly in need of repairs," said Brad Wieferich, manager of MDOT's Transportation Service Center in Marshall. "Because this stretch of I-94 has such a high volume of traffic, we decided to do most of the work during nighttime hours."
    Throughout this project, one lane of traffic will be open in each direction from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays. On four weekends, starting Friday, May 9, one lane will closed on either west- or eastbound I-94 from 10 p.m. Friday until 6a.m. Monday. During all other times, all lanes will be open to traffic
    This project is scheduled for completion in late August and is expected to extend the service life of the pavement.

Kalamazoo-Portage: I-94 and US-131 interchange

April 21, 2008 — I-94 is being rebuilt near the US-131 interchange. This is the last year of a three-year project. Westbound was replaced last year, and now it's time to rebuild eastbound.
    Eastbound jumps the median, shares westbound. Both sides have two lanes open, at least during rush hours.
    These ramps are closed for the season:
These ramps will remain open for the season:
And the ramp from southbound to eastbound is closed for two weeks, to build a temporary ramp.

Also, the off-ramp from eastbound I-94 to Oakland Dr. will close for a week, early in June.

Rothbury–New Era: US-31 between Winston Rd. and M-20

April 25, 2008 — US-31 between Winston Rd. (Rothbury) and M-20  (Stony Lake Rd., New Era) will be down to one lane most of the time from Monday, April 28, until mid-September.
    Resurfacing, concrete repairs, extending speed-up ramp lanes, and shoulder, drain and guardrail improvements will cost $6.5 million.
    MDOT will have both lanes open northbound from 3 p.m. Fridays to 6 a.m. Mondays, and southbound from 8 p.m. Saturdays to 6 a.m. Sundays.
    For separate two-week periods, both on-ramps from M-20 will close. Detour for both will be north to Shelby Rd., to flip around.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2008
CONTACT: Julie Hurley, MDOT Office of Communications, 269-208-7829

MDOT to begin work April 28 on US-31 in Oceana County

April 25, 2008 -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will begin work on a $6.5 million project that will improve 4 miles of US-31 from north of Winston Road to north of M-20 near Rothbury.
    This work includes the application of an asphalt-stabilized crack relief layer, asphalt resurfacing, shoulder trenching and widening, extension of acceleration lanes, concrete joint repairs, drainage improvements, and safety upgrades.
    "This roadway is in need of repairs, and this work will provide a 10- to 15-year fix," said Gregg Zack, project manager for MDOT's Transportation Service Center in Muskegon. "The application of an asphalt-stabilized crack relief layer is a new process that the TSC is using, which should provide relief to the recurring cracks that occur on this stretch of US-31."
    Throughout this project, at least one lane of traffic will be open in each direction on US-31. To accommodate summer tourism traffic, northbound US-31 will be open from 3 p.m. on Fridays until 6 a.m. on Mondays, and southbound US-31 will be open from 8 p.m. on Saturdays to 6 a.m. on Sundays.
    The on-ramps from M-20 to northbound and southbound US-31 will both be closed for a maximum of two weeks to facilitate ramp improvements. The detour for M-20 to northbound US-31 follows M-20, Oceana Drive, and Shelby Road; the detour for M-20 to southbound US-31 follows northbound US-31 to Shelby Road, and back to southbound US-31.
    All lanes are expected to reopen to traffic by mid-September, with work on this project scheduled to wrap up next spring.

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