Road projects halt in time for University of Michigan's first football Saturday

"On football Saturday, we're not planning to have any detours," said Homayoon Pirooz, manager of the project management unit for Ann Arbor. "Most of the projects you see people working on today will be completed by the end of the week to the point where they can open up the roads."

Meanwhile, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority begins its football ride shuttles on Saturday to help fans and foes get to the Big House.

Work on I-94 from the Washtenaw/Jackson county line to the Parker Road exit near the village of Dexter will stop on Friday and resume Tuesday, said Kari Arend, a Michigan Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

According to Pirooz, Ann Arbor road construction projects going on hiatus for the weekend include:

• Paving work on Packard Street between South Division and Hill streets will be opened to two-way traffic over the weekend, but the street resurfacing has a few more weeks to go before it's complete, Pirooz said.


• Paving work on West Stadium Boulevard between Pauline Boulevard and Suffolk Street means only two lanes are currently open as the road is reconstructed. On Saturday, all five lanes on Stadium Boulevard will be open, but work will continue after the weekend with an expected completion date in mid-September.


• On South State Street between Eisenhower Parkway and Stimson Street, only two lanes are open - one in each direction. The center left turn lane will be open before Saturday. The project is substantially completed, but there will be more work after the weekend, Pirooz said.


• All traffic lanes will be open on Washtenaw Avenue between the US-23 southbound ramp and Glenwood Road over the weekend. The work, a water main replacement project, has an expected completion date of mid-October.

One area to avoid: One lane will remain closed on South Division Street between Packard and East Huron streets through September for a traffic lane realignment project. The Downtown Development Authority's project aims to convert the three-lane, one-way street into a two-lane street with a dedicated bike lane and on-street parking.

In addition, only one lane of the Stadium Boulevard bridges will be open until further notice. Although there's no construction going on there, the bridge was deemed safe only for two-lane traffic until it's rebuilt, the city said.

The AATA's football ride shuttles will operate between 19 hotel and parking sites and Michigan Stadium for U-M's eight home football games. The shuttles pick up about every 20 minutes, beginning two hours before the game and ending 30 minutes before game time. 

They run one hour after each game ends. Tickets are $2.50 per round trip or $1.25 each way; they're sold at participating hotels. Drivers don't carry change, so the AATA recommends passengers purchase round trip tickets.

Riders can board at the following locations:

• North shuttle boards at the Holiday Inn near the University of Michigan.


• South shuttle boards at: Four Points Sheraton, Hampton Inn South, Kensington Court Ann Arbor and the Red Roof Inn. Those staying at the Comfort Inn can board at the Red Roof Inn, and those staying at the Courtyard by Marriott can board at the Four Points Sheraton.


• Downtown shuttle boards at: Bell Tower Hotel, Campus Inn, Fletcher Street parking structure, Fourth and William parking structure, the Michigan Union, Pizza House for the Forest Street and Church Street parking structures, and the Thompson Street parking structure.


• East shuttle boards at the Quality Inn.


• West shuttle boards at the Miller Road park-and-ride lot and Weber's Inn.

For more information, view the AATA Web site at www.theride.org or call (734) 996-0400.

The two-part I-94 project that halts Friday and resumes Tuesday began in July. The first project, from the county line east to Freer Road near Chelsea, involves resurfacing almost seven miles of pavement, with ramp improvements at Kalmbach Road and Pierce Road (Old US-12) and the M-52 interchange. Completion is expected at the end of October. 

The second project will last two years, stretching between the Freer and Parker road exits. It involves shoulder widening and reconstruction, ramp improvements at Fletcher Road and the rest area off eastbound I-94, resurfacing, and guardrail and drainage improvements, according to MDOT.

Photo by Lon Horwedel, AnnArbor.com: The Stadium Boulevard bridges are an orange-barrel zone right now.

Juliana Keeping covers the University of Michigan for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528.