Construction preview: MDOT to resurface 2 major Ann Arbor highways this summer
Editor's note: This story has been edited to reflect the start dates of the construction.
Two major highway routes around Ann Arbor will see new pavement this summer as a result of Michigan Department of Transportation construction.
Traffic congestion on I-94 as a result of accidents Feb. 9, 2010. MDOT is planning on repaving the road in the summer of 2013.
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com file photo
M-14 in both directions between the tri-level interchanges on the north side of Ann Arbor also will be resurfaced, Arend said. The interchanges themselves are the endpoints for the project.
M-14 will be resurfaced from approximately April to early July, and resurfacing of I-94 will last from mid- to late-July and extend through early fall. Both projects may require off-peak lane closures on nights and weekends, Arend said.
The resurfacing projects are just a portion of what MDOT is planning for the 2013 construction season.
A full list of MDOT construction projects for 2013 will be released in March.
During the summer of 2012, MDOT resurfaced U.S. 23 from Washtenaw Avenue to M-14, which required lane closures during weekends.
M-14 from the U.S. 23 interchange to the Wayne County line also was under construction as MDOT completed a repaving project last summer.
View 2013 MDOT road construction in a larger map
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
Comments
misty80
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 7 p.m.
This is so long overdue. Like other people have said, to bad they can't widen I-94 while there at it. It doesn't make sense with a City the size of Ann Arbor to have 2 lane freeways around it, traffic congestion is so bad. Was up north this past weekend, I 75 around Grayling has 3 lanes in both directions, go figure! Must have powerful people in Lansing representing that area while we are congested all the time down in Ann Arbor.
Westfringe
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 6:12 p.m.
Good! These stretches of road are in poor condition and quite literally the noisiest I have ever heard.
Joe Hood
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 5:43 p.m.
Better spend the money on the highways and schools now before the Medicare expansion sucks all of the money away in a few years.
michael Limmer
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:28 p.m.
And the barrels are already staged for US 23 south of the county line. Gonna be fun.
Mercutio
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:25 p.m.
Why on earth would MDOT plan both projects on either side of Ann Arbor at the same time? That's shear idiocy, it would have been so easy to stagger them so traffic could have a detour! Where do these people come from?
Mercutio
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 7:43 p.m.
Note the statement on the top of the page: "Editor's note: This story has been edited to reflect the start dates of the construction." My original comment was before the editorial correction, when it stated the start date was simply July.
Amy Biolchini
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 5:15 p.m.
These projects will be staggered, according to MDOT.
Frank Lee
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:34 p.m.
Where does it state that these projects or even both directions of the highway will be done at the same time?
SEC Fan
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:52 p.m.
I sure hope they don't plan to do both of these concurrently! They wouldn't really block the only routes around AA at the exact same time, would they?
yaah
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:51 p.m.
Is it possible to stagger these? Doing them both simultaneously is going to create far more problems - working on alternate routes at the same time is problematic. This seems to be a common theme though, I have no idea why.
Frank Lee
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:23 p.m.
So they are repaving the bottle neck instead of eliminating it? MDOT to repave 2 lane highway that adjoins 3 lane highway on each end…brilliant. I am aware that it would involve some bridge work. I am also aware that State street is the only southern access to Ann Arbor and is another source of traffic problems. If this stretch of 94 is not going to be three lanes, at least give us on/off ramps at Stone School, Platt, Ellsworth, or Carpenter road.
Lola
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:47 p.m.
There is an exit at Ann Arbor-Saline Road which is also on the south side of town.
whojix
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:53 p.m.
Expand that stretch to 3 lanes while you're at it.
dading dont delete me bro
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:17 p.m.
can i vote for this multiple times? please...please...please...widen that stretch.
jmac
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:53 p.m.
I hope the list in March will include Carpenter between Washtenaw and Packard. The curb lanes are completely pot-holed, they are like rumble lanes when you drive over them. By the end of this winter they will be impassible.
Amy Biolchini
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:39 p.m.
That stretch of Carpenter Road in Pittsfield Township is slated for a $1.75 million reconstructed in 2014 by the Washtenaw County Road Commission. http://www.annarbor.com/news/carpenter-road-crosswalk/
Frank Lee
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:29 p.m.
Scheduled to be paved in June of 2013: http://www.wcroads.org/node/1565
Tailgate Jim
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:42 p.m.
That's great - the orange barrels are already there waiting for the project to begin.
Little Patience
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:14 p.m.
I really hope to see some of the local paved roads on the list. Some are worse than the dirt roads.
Little Patience
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:58 p.m.
Thanks, @Amy! I sent WCRC an email a few weeks ago about a road I travel several times/day that is horrible shape but didn't get a response. :(
Amy Biolchini
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:22 p.m.
Local paved roads throughout the county are managed by the Washtenaw County Road Commission (with the exception of the cities with their own road authorities). I'm writing a story about the WCRC projects for this year. Stay tuned.
Ross
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:05 p.m.
I-94, um, Ok, I guess, but why re-surface M-14? It's in perfect shape. Tearing up good roads just to poorly rebuild them is just STUPID. If you weigh the cost in frustration and lost economic activity, it just really doesn't make sense.
garrisondyer
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:55 p.m.
I was thinking the same thing! I know time flies when you're having fun, but it seems like just a few years ago that they made that stretch of M-14/US-23 three lanes instead of two. And the pavement seems nice and smooth still, unless I'm just remembering it incorrectly.
sellers
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:23 p.m.
Depends on if it's a surfacing or reconstruction. Surfacing can be preventative to protect the base of the road - and give it another five or so years before it would need to be torn up and rebased.
Kellie Woodhouse
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:57 p.m.
Good! So many Michigan roads are in poor shape and I-94 specifically needs some TLC.
Urban Sombrero
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:53 p.m.
This is good news and the work is desperately needed. My only complaint is that they're just resurfacing, not adding to the road. I-94 really needs to be 3 lanes...
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:49 p.m.
Oh... and possibly the bridges at the Ann Arbor Railroad, Stone School and Platt. I believe those at South State, AA-Saline and Ellsworth bridges were built or upgraded with three lanes in mind.
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:41 p.m.
... and Scio Church, and Liberty, and Jackson Rd, unfortunately. And possibly acquisition of property near the Jackson Rd bridge, which is very tight and includes a cemetery. It doesn't look good for that stretch.
HB11
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:32 p.m.
Unfortunately that would require complete rebuild of the US 23/ I-94 bridge. I believe that is one of the limitations for widening it.
Salbolal
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:45 p.m.
I hope they're not planning to do BOTH projects at the same time?
Amy Biolchini
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:21 p.m.
The timing has yet to be released. We'll follow up with a story in March when the full MDOT list is announced.
Stephen Lange Ranzini
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:37 p.m.
@Amy Biolchini: as @Craig Lounsbury notes above, at Carpenter Road there is a bridge across I-94, not an exit. You might want to correct the story?
Rob MI
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:50 p.m.
An interchange for Carpenter off of I-94 would be considered entirely too close to the US-23 interchange without significant reconfiguration of the existing roadways (mostly I-94). It was this sort of close proximity that prompted the closure of the Grove Road interchange further east after the Huron St. interchange was opened. I believe Packard/US-23 would face the same problem, though not nearly as close to I-94 as Carpenter is.
Michael
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:39 p.m.
Even though there should be. I'm new to the area, I'm here for Grad School, and I find it very odd that there is not an exit on 94 for Carpenter Rd and also no exit on 23 for Packard. I think this in one reason why the Washtenaw Ave exit area is so incredibly congested so often. It'd be nice if MDOT did something about adding new interchanges.
Amy Biolchini
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:20 p.m.
It's been corrected. The Carpenter Road overpass was something I considered as I was writing the story. I remember checking the map and going, "Yup, no exit there." Human error.
Craig Lounsbury
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:14 p.m.
" to the Carpenter Road exit ...." nearly 50 years living in the Ypsilanti Ann Arbor area and i never knew there was a Carpenter road exit on I-94. How could I have missed it?
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:39 p.m.
Well, actually.... http://tinyurl.com/crrq3m6
Amy Biolchini
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:21 p.m.
My fingers were typing faster than my brain on that one. Thanks for pointing it out. It's been corrected.
Bob W
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:29 p.m.
I don't think "you" missed anything. ;o)
motorcycleminer
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 11:40 a.m.
If they do it @ night like they did in the past not so bad... otherwise it's the stadium bridge syndrome "hurry up and wait"......@ least m-dot is doing something for the roads which is more than can be said for the city..
northA2
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:36 p.m.
Overnight's not so bad unless your house backs up to the construction zone. Then it's pretty awful (but obviously still the most convenient for everyone else). The US-23 repaving project caused many near-sleepless nights last summer b
Steve Burling
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:04 p.m.
Apparently you missed the link in the article -- to the 8 major street projects the city has planned for this year?