Westbound I-696 ramp to M-10/Telegraph/Lahser to CLOSE May 4, through the summer

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) said this closure is needed for work as part of the ongoing "Restore the Reuther" project: a complete reconstruction of 696 in Oakland County.

DOT spokeswoman Diane Cross said this particular ramp closure will impact tens of thousands of drivers.

"This is a reminder that people need to know more than one way to get home or to get to work," Cross said, in an interview with WWJ's Amanda Forrester. "Because, when your route is changed that you can't access it, you are going to need to take another way."

The official detours suggested by MDOT are as follows:

M-10 detour: Exit at M-53 (Van Dyke Rd., Exit 23), to southbound M-53, to westbound M-102 (8 Mile Rd.), to M-10

Telegraph/Lahser detour: Exit at M-53 (Van Dyke Rd., Exit 23), to southbound M-53, to westbound M-102 (8 Mile Rd), to northbound M-10 to Lahser/Telegraph.

It's clear that those route won't make sense for everyone, depending on where you're coming from, so it's a good idea to work on mapping out your own ahead of time.

Cross expects some traffic jams, telling Amanda, "It's going to be a rough summer."

"Drivers can use any road that they're legally allowed to be on, right?" Cross said. "So, you can expect a lot of traffic on the local mile roads, which we've already been seeing as part of this project. But you're gonna see a lot heavier traffic that's going to be using Southfield Road and Orchard Lake, because those are the only exits on either side of this particular ramp closure."

Reminder of current ramp/lane closures at the I-696/I-75 interchange:

• Westbound I-696 has two lanes open from Dequindre Road to I-75.The westbound I-696 ramp to southbound I-75 is closed through late summer. Detour: Southbound M-53 (Van Dyke Avenue) and westbound M-102 (8 Mile Road) to southbound I-75.
• The westbound I-696 ramp to northbound I-75 is closed through late summer. Detour: Northbound M-53 (Van Dyke Avenue) and westbound M-59 to northbound I-75.The northbound and southbound I-75 ramps to westbound I-696 are closed through late summer. Detour: Westbound M-102 (8 Mile Road) and northbound M-10 to westbound I-696.
• The northbound and southbound I-75 ramps to eastbound I-696 remain open.
• The eastbound I-696 ramps to northbound and southbound I-75 that were closed last year will remain closed until the project is completed.
• Eastbound I-696 remains closed and detoured from M-10 to I-75 through late 2026 with westbound I-696 traffic currently shifted over to the newly rebuilt eastbound side near the I-75 interchange.

All westbound I-696 ramps remain closed except for:

• M-1 (Woodward Avenue) exit 16 (will be closed from late May through late summer).
• Southfield Road exit 12 (will be closed from late summer through the fall).

MDOT said that this final phase of the Restore the Reuther project involves completing the rebuilding of I-696 in 2026, while in 2027 I-696 will have major road work done between I-75 and Dequindre Road. That work includes rebuilding the roadway, bridge improvements and drainage structures.

As part of the project, 60 bridges are being repaired, including the rebuilding of the Church Street Plaza bridge that contains Victoria Park. That plaza has a walkway detour in place.

Cross said the project is moving along on schedule, with both sides of I-606 expected to reopen by the end of the year, with all of the ramps open.

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