Loose concrete prompts emergency work on I-696

(WJBK) - The Michigan Department of Transportation says it's making emergency repairs this month on I-696 to improve the road's surface. 

Just last month, loose concrete came crashing through the windshields of two different cars. Neither driver was injured, but last spring one woman was critically injured when concrete came through her windshield.

"We all drive 696 and we just were heartbroken that this happened. It's so scary. And, so, we are going to be starting a project," MDOT spokesperson Diane Cross said. 

MDOT will be spending about $5 million to hold the roadway together in Macomb County until the already-planned construction project begins this spring. 

Safety concerns grow for I-696 drivers after another shattered windshield

Crews will make repairs along I-696 from I-275 to I-94, especially along the joints separating the lanes. Work will include the removal of the current crumbling material. Cross says the stretch of 696 from Southfield to Van Dyke has been the worst of it. 

Cross says the work is all, of course, weather dependent, as they'll be using materials normally only used in the warmer months. You can hear more from her about the repairs in the video player above. 

If the weather cooperates, the emergency repairs could begin as soon as this weekend. 

Come late April or early May, MDOT will shut down the westbound lanes of I-696 from I-75 to I-94 to completely replace the concrete. 

The $90 million project has to be completed while funding is available and before MDOT widens I-75 near 10 mile. That's a part of the I-75 modernization project, which aims to fatten the freeway from 8 Mile to just south of M-59.

Looming I-696 closure in Macomb County concerning drivers

If this 696 project is put on hold, MDOT may not be able to work on the freeway until 2024.

The big project isn't expected to clear up until late 2018.