By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

Livingston County commuters should get ready for a major multi-year highway project that is set to begin next week.

Starting Monday, March 21st, work will begin on the I-96 Flex Route, between Kent Lake Road and the I-275/M-5/I-696 interchange. This project includes rebuilding the freeway, rebuilding median shoulders for use during peak hours, sign upgrades, and the installation of active traffic management systems that will help meter traffic onto the freeway.

Construction is expected to go on for 3 years, in stages, according to a release. Stage one, beginning Monday, will see improvements made to the eastbound and westbound median and outside shoulders, as well as temporary crossovers installed to shift traffic during the project. Then starting in May, through late fall of this year, I-96 traffic going both directions will be shifted onto the westbound lanes between Kent Lake Road and Wixom Road, with two lanes open in each direction to accommodate the rebuilding of eastbound lanes. As drainage work goes on, I-96 traffic will have 3 eastbound lanes and 2 westbound lanes between Wixom Road and the interchange operating.

Several ramps will closed during this phase, including the northbound and southbound Kent Lake Road ramps to I-96 east; northbound and southbound Milford Road ramps to I-96 east; eastbound I-96 ramps to Milford and Wixom roads, and the Milford and Wixom road ramps to westbound I-96. This stage will be finished, and ramps reopened, by late fall.

See a copy of the full press release attached below.