SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) -- If you thought the I-696 reconstruction project was already inconvenient, just wait until next month.
According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, both sides of the freeway will be closed for approximately 10 days in May so that one of the tunnels can be demolished.
From May 9 until May 19, MDOT has announced that westbound I-696 will be closed from I-75 to the Lodge (M-10) while the Church Street plaza bridge is taken down. (Eastbound I-696 is already closed through fall of 2026).
The suggested detour from MDOT during this time will be southbound I-75 to westbound M-8, and northbound Lodge to get back to I-696. There will be a local westbound lane with access to Bermuda Street, Woodward Avenue, and Coolidge Highway.
WWJ's Luke Sloan asked MDOT spokeswoman Diane Cross whether these westbound closures will become a regular thing.
"This really the only big one that we're gonna have going on for such a long time period," Cross said. "Now, we may have a weekend or two here or there because we are working on other bridges, but this is the only that's being demolished and then totally rebuilt."
Cross said the longer closure is needed this time because 170 concrete beams have to be demolished, and a lot of debris cleaned up.
The final phase of the Restore the Reuther project involves rebuilding I-696 in 2025-2026, while in 2027, I-696 will have major road work done between I-75 and Dequindre Road. Work includes rebuilding the roadway, bridge work and drainage structures.
As part of the project, 60 bridges will be repaired, including the rebuilding of the Church Street Plaza bridge that contains Victoria Park. During that rebuilding, a walkway detour will be in place.
Next year, westbound I-696 will be rebuilt from I-75 to Lahser Road
"Across Michigan, we are moving dirt and fixing the damn roads to grow our economy, helping Michiganders go to work, drop their kids off at school and run errands safely," said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in a statement. "By the end of this construction season, we will have fixed, repaired or replaced nearly 24,500 lane miles of roads and 1,900 bridges, supporting thousands of good-paying, local jobs without raising taxes by a dime. This year, let's build on our momentum to pass a bipartisan local road funding plan so we can keep fixing our damn roads and creating good-paying, local jobs."
More project details can be found at this link.