WARREN (WWJ) - The reviews are in, and many drivers say they're enjoying the freshly-poured I-696 in Macomb County. However, following a months long closure for reconstruction, not everyone is pleased -- with the Michigan Department of Transportation fielding some complaints about bumpy spots and rough patches.
While nearly 30-mile stretch from I-275 to I-94 was just repaved, the freeway doesn't seem as smooth as it should to some commuters. One particularly bad area, according to tipsters, is right before the Mound Road exit.
Asked what the problem is, MDOT construction project manager Alan Ostrowski said there's still some work to be done.
"So there's a process that we do after the pavement has been placed where we smooth the pavement out," he explained, speaking live with WWJ on Thursday. "We use diamond grinding, which basically is saw blades that will just scratch the surface and smooth out the little undulations
"...We haven't done that yet everywhere."
Ostrowski said, typically, all new pavement would go through that process. But, due to unanticipated delays, including due to a labor dispute, things took a little longer than expected.
"We have a ride quality that we're trying to achieve," Ostrowski added. "And so this is something that we do at the end. We just couldn't get to it because we were finishing in December."
Once the weather warms up, Ostrowski said, MDOT will close some lanes in order to finish things off in the Spring.
"Some of the other work that we have to do is the median barrier wall has to be repaired in some spots," Ostrowski said. "So that will require some longer-term lane closures, and we'll try to capitalize on that and use those lane closures to complete the other work that we still have left to do."
Meanwhile, MDOT's Diane Cross said potholes remain a problem just about everywhere else in metro Detroit, simply due to the weather.
"With the warm temperatures that we've having today, and all the rain we've had -- who's paying the price?" she said. "We drivers are, ultimately, but the pavement and the ground underneath, and the shifting and the freezing and the thawing is, unfortunately, wreaking havoc on the roadways."
Problem areas include I-75 in Oakland County, which Cross acknowledged needs a lot of work. "That's why we're planning a big project," she added, "but the weather is just making it really start to fall apart."
Cross noted that in winter weather, pothole patching crews can only use a temporary product for a short-term fix. In the spring, she said, that's when the more permanent work will be done.
Get the latest detailed information about MDOT projects at this link.
