Which Metro Detroit drivers expect with the upcoming I-696 project
2 mins read

Which Metro Detroit drivers expect with the upcoming I-696 project

Royal Oak, Mich. (WXYZ)-They commute to I-696 can expect to add an extra hour to their commuter time when construction begins on March 1.

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Wxyz

“Two years 696. It’s a big deal,” said commuter Joshua Mahoney.

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Wxyz

“I am concerned about the amount of traffic that will be circumvented right where I live,” said Steven Melandi, who lives on the service operation nearby.

For many commuters, which start on March 1, their endeavor to work may take longer when the construction begins at the last phase of the Reuther recovery.

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MDOT

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“I’m worried but it has to be done,” said commuter Bernard Davis.

This project will affect hundreds of thousands of drivers per day when 969 between M-10 and I-75 will be turned off.

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Headshot of Diane Cross (via MDOT)

“It will be a rough couple of weeks because everyone tries different routes but when people figure out what will work best for them, it will settle down,” said MDOT Talesman Diane Cross.

While westbound traffic will be open, with only two lanes east of traffic, drivers will meet a massive detour via southbound M-10, east M-8 and back to northbound I-75, before returning to east-696.

“We will rip up what is there that is old it must be 25 years and we reconstruct the entire highway from the base up,” Said cross.

60 overpasses will also be repaired, including the redevelopment of Church Street Plaza.

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Wxyz

“I take 696 as every day, two to three times a day,” said driver Adam Stein.

Drivers and residents have mixed feelings about how long the project will last, with Stein who is shocked at how long the project will take.

“It’s a couple for the course,” Adam said. “I’m not happy with it but at the end of the day that’s what it is.”

“Two years is a long time to have to wait for a project to affect especially directly in the neighborhood,” Steven said.

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