SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) -- Be prepared if you tend to travel I-696 in Oakland County.
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is scheduled to close westbound I-696 from I-75 to Lahser overnight, from 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21 and 22, 2025.
MDOT says this short-term closure is prep work for the last phase of the Restore the Reuther project — which will require a long-term closure expected to begin the following weekend.
Message signs will direct traffic onto southbound I-75, to westbound M-8 the Davison, onto the northbound Lodge Freeway (M-10).
Just a week away: During the next phase of the "Restore the Reuther" project, eastbound I-696 will be completely closed from Lahser Road in Southfield to I-75 in Royal Oak.
MDOT says the closure will begin Saturday, March 1, 2025, and will end sometime in the fall of 2027. During this time, the westbound freeway will remain open; although drivers should expect lane closures.
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.