SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) -- Keep this in mind, Metro Detroit commuters: An eight-mile stretch of I-696 in Oakland County is now closed for a two-year period.
With the next phase of the "Restore the Reuther" project now underway, eastbound I-696 is completely closed from Lahser Road in Southfield to I-75 in Royal Oak, including all on and off ramps) — meaning thousands of drivers will need to find an alternate route,
The Michigan Department of Transportation said the closure — which began shortly after 9 a.m. on Monday, March 3 — will end sometime in the fall of 2027.
All eastbound I-696 traffic is being detoured via southbound M-10 (Lodge Freeway), eastbound M-8 (Davison Highway) and northbound I-75 back to eastbound I-696.
Communities affected include Ferndale, Hazel Park, Hunting Woods, Lathrup Village, Madison Heights, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Southfield and Warren.
Speaking with WWJ Newsradio 950's Luke Sloan, MDOT spokeswoman Diane Cross said the eastbound closure is necessary to allow for much-needed work on 696, including pavement upgrades, 60 bridge repairs, a plaza reconstruction, and updates to 1,100 drainage structures.
Cross said the westbound freeway will remain open.
"We are completely the final phase of rebuilding 696, which is a many decades-old freeway," Cross said. "Even though the freeway both sides are goin to be torn up, we're going to allow westbound traffic to always use some portion of the freeway. We'll shift them around, depending on where we're working. It will be down to two lanes, but you'll be able to drive west on the freeway."
"For this particular project we have to detour all the eastbound drivers," she said. "For two years, you're not going to be able to use the freeway."
Cross described the detour (seen in green on the map on the top of this page) as a "big crooked U-shape."
While she understands how the detour may appear inconvenient, Cross said it's MDOT's best option.
"There's close to 200,000 drivers a day who use this portion of 696 connecting I-75. Half of that we're detouring," Cross explained. "Where do you put 100,000 drivers a day? We need to stay freeway-to-freeway, because we're MDOT, we're the state roads, the freeways. So, in order to take them freeway to freeway, that's why we take you on this low detour."
Cross said, however, that because many people may opt not to follow the official detour, drivers should expect increased traffic on the mile roads as well.
MDOT said communities affected by this phase of the project include Ferndale, Hazel Park, Hunting Woods, Lathrup Village, Madison Heights, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Southfield and Warren.
As part of this $250 million project, Cross said the public can expect to see full-scale replacement of landscapes, playscapes, and walking paths on the three-acre plaza that covers the freeway in Oak Park.
She said the work is expected to fix the icicle troubles in the tunnels in that area.
After this work is complete, an additional 1.5-mile stretch from I-75 to Dequindre is scheduled for patching and bridge improvements in 2027.
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