Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


With near-record holiday travel predicted for this Memorial Day weekend, MDOT is removing lane restrictions on nearly 60% of its road and bridge projects statewide to ease traffic delays for holiday travelers.

AAA estimates more than 1.3 million Michiganders are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home during the Memorial Day holiday weekend - a slight increase from last year and the second-highest forecast since AAA began tracking holiday traffic.

Beginning at 3pm Friday and continuing until 6am Tuesday, 92 out of 158 projects statewide will have lane restrictions removed. While motorists will see suspended operations in most MDOT work zones for the weekend, drivers are advised that equipment and certain traffic configurations may remain in place, like temporary shifts or shoulder closures.

A list of work zones that will remain active or have lane restrictions during Memorial Day weekend is available in the provided link. If necessary, detour routes will be posted at the project location. All closures are subject to change.

For the most up-to-date information on MDOT projects, visit the Mi Drive website, the bottom provided link.

State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich said "While we've been able to pull back the barrels as much as we can for this kickoff to the busy summer travel season, some work zones must remain in place for safety reasons. Everyone at MDOT fully understands how frustrating construction can be for drivers, but for everyone's safety in work zones, including your own, follow the law, be patient and help make sure everyone makes it home each and every night. Road workers and the ones you love are all counting on you."

By the end of this construction season, the state will have fixed, repaired or replaced nearly 24,500 lane miles of roads and 1,900 bridges.

Director Wieferich also reminds the public that MDOT is not sending text messages to anyone demanding toll payments. This is a scam. MDOT does not operate any toll roads; messages should be ignored and deleted immediately. Anyone who has tried sending payment information to these messages should contact their financial institution immediately.