Governor Whitmer announced that major bridge and road repair projects started.
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The projects include repairing the Airport Road bridge over I-69 in Clinton County, repairing I-96 near M-6 in Kent County, and a new ramp and interchange connector coming to I-96 and M-21 (Fulton Street) in Kent County.
Based on economic modeling, these investments are expected to directly and indirectly support 1,169 jobs.
“Across Michigan, we are fixing the damn roads to save motorists time and money. Investments like these in Clinton and Kent counties will ensure that drivers can go to work, drop their kids off at school, or run errands safely,†said Governor Whitmer.
“These projects will improve ride quality, reduce congestion, and extend the service life of this critical roadway. This year, Michiganders will see more orange barrels and cones than ever before as we move forward at record pace to fix roads and bridges across Michigan.
"Since I took office, we’ve repaired, rebuilt, or replaced over 13,000 lane miles of road and 900 bridges, supporting nearly 82,000 jobs. And both my Rebuilding Michigan Plan and the recently enacted Building Michigan Together Plan will turbocharge our efforts to fix our roads with the right mix and materials, making them much less susceptible to our notorious pothole seasons, all without raising taxes by a cent.â€
Repairing I-96 near M-6 in Kent County
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is investing approximately $15 million to rebuild more than 2 miles of eastbound and westbound I-96 between Thornapple River Drive and Whitneyville Avenue in Cascade Township. Based on economic modeling, this investment is expected to directly and indirectly support 191 jobs.
New ramp and interchange connector coming to I-96 and M-21 (Fulton Street)
MDOT is investing approximately $4 million to build a new eastbound M-21 ramp to eastbound I-96 and build an interchange connection lane on eastbound I-96 from M-21 to Cascade Road. Based on economic modeling, this investment is expected to directly and indirectly support 51 jobs.
I-69 project from Airport Road to the I-96/I-69 interchange
On Thursday, April 28, MDOT will close the Airport Road bridge over I-69 for repairs. This work is part of the I-69 project from Airport Road to the I-96/I-69 interchange in Clinton and Eaton counties. MDOT is investing approximately $73 million to rebuild more than 5 miles of I-69 between the I-96/I-69 interchange and Airport Road, including rebuilding the interchanges at Francis and Airport roads and performing preventive maintenance and repairs on 13 bridges.
The majority of work for this project is taking place in 2021-2022, with additional bridge work scheduled in 2023. Based on economic modeling, this investment is expected to directly and indirectly support 927 jobs. ■