Ramps closing this weekend on I-75 in Oakland County
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (FOX 2) - The ongoing overhaul of I-75 will enter another phase this weekend with multiple new ramps opening and others closing as the project to revitalize the interstate continues.
The Michigan Department of Transportation announced on Monday that the 7-year project to improve I-75 in Oakland County will enter the next portion of the project, which includes a weekend closure of ramps to 696 from I-75.
Starting at 10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7, MDOT will close both ramps from southbound I-75 to 696. Additionally, the right lane of I-75 will be closed from Lincoln Ave to 696. These closures are only temporary and, by 5 a.m. on Monday, the ramps are expected to be reopened as a single-lane exit, which will be in place until late February 2023.
That's not the only closure taking place this weekend. Also on Friday night, the ramps to and from 11 Mile on I-75 are closing, as will the southbound service drive from north of Gardenia Ave to 696. These closures will be in place for much longer - until Sept. 1, 2023 - and will allow the city of Royal Oak to install a new water main under the southbound service drive.
RELATED: Oakland County to rebuild 11-mile section of 696 starting next year
While those ramps are being closed, there is some good news. Both directions of 12 Mile under I-75 will reopen this Friday. This will also mark the reopening of the entrance and exit ramps for 12 Mile for southbound traffic. The northbound lanes are expected to reopen in mid-November.
However, 12 Mile Road won't be open for long. In February, MDOT plans to close it and the southbound ramps to allow for the construction of the southbound I-75 bridge over 12 Mile.
The massive project to overhaul I-75 from 8 Mile to M-59 started in 2016 and is expected to be complete by the fall of 2023.
The ambitious project includes a High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV), Diverging Diamond interchange (DDI), and a safer drive on the freeway. According to MDOT, this section of I-75 was originally built in the 1960s and has never been rebuilt.