The Michigan Department of Transportation is replacing two I-196 bridges spanning the Grand River. It’s a massive $100 million, multi-year project.
“I like to say, huge.”
John Richard is MDOT Grand Region Communications Representative.
“There’s two bridges and they’re quite large. I think they’re both about a quarter of a mile long. So, you’ve got these bridges, the eastbound and westbound 196 that span not only Market Avenue, but they span the Grand River.”
Beginning in October, the eastbound bridge will be replaced first. The 60,000 to 70,000 cars travelling the section of highway will need to be redirected daily. MDOT will detour eastbound traffic onto M-6 then picking up 131northbound.
“So, I know that scares a lot of people because that’s kind of a long detour. However, M-6 of course, can accommodate large traffic volume and 131 can as well, but there are many other choices. You can get off at 28th Street. You can get off at Chicago Drive. You can still get off at Market. So, there’s a lot of stuff folks can do. There’s M-11 if you want to go around on the westside.”
In August of 2024, the westbound bridge will be replaced. But in this second phase, vehicles travelling east and west will share the newly constructed bridge.
The entire project is scheduled for completion November of 2025.