Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Last weekend’s snowstorm over the Thanksgiving holiday did not help progress with the ongoing US-23 Flex Route project - but the goal remains to get freeway ramps opened back up as soon as possible in the Green Oak Township area.

What is currently closed is the northbound US-23 exit to M-36; the M-36 entrance ramp to northbound US-23; and M-36 between Fieldcrest and Silver Lake Road – which is basically under the freeway.

MDOT Project Engineer Mike Royalty gave WHMI a general project update.
Royalty said they really could have used another week without that snowstorm that came in over Thanksgiving. He said they were originally hoping – “quite optimistically” – to be able to get everything opened up and back to normal configurations; particularly the two ramps on the northbound side at M-36 before the holiday but then they got hit with the weather.

Royalty said this week has mainly been spent trying to clean up all of the snow. He said when you don’t have traffic running on the pavement out there, it doesn’t dry out. One of the next major things they have to do to be able to open those ramps and put traffic over back on the northbound side (right now it’s on the southbound side) is put down pavement markings. Royalty said that pavement has to be completely dry or the markings won’t stick and peel up – making for chaos as there would be no markings to guide motorists where the lanes are.

Royalty said they are trying to get the pavement in a position where they can place those markings and then they have to move around some temporary concrete barriers to protect a few things that aren’t complete for the winter to make it safe for the motoring public.

Some changes are expected to be coming this weekend – weather dependent.

Royalty said if there isn’t another significant snow storm, the plan is to move the northbound US-23 lanes at M-36 back to the northbound side of the freeway. However, he said they’ll leave the two ramps closed for a little bit longer to allow them to get the lighting done and some other work at the bottom by the roundabout on the east side of the freeway. That will then help to minimize the amount of work that crews have to come back and finish up next year.

Royalty said once they make that traffic switch this Friday, they’ll take a week to work and get everything ready on the southbound side because they have to move traffic around a little bit over there. He said December 12th is the day they are anticipating to open the two ramps and M-36 to thru-traffic underneath US-23.

Royalty stressed that once they do get everything all done and opened up, it will be a very significant improvement to traffic flow and safety at that interchange.

As for the larger project, Royalty said they are hoping to be in operation at the end of June, before the 4th of July holiday.