The Blade's Road Warrior
9/2/2005The Blade s Road Warrior advises readers where the biggest driving headaches will be throughout the construction season. He will tell you the locations to avoid and the detours to take.
All lanes are open on I-280 in Toledo and I-75 in Monroe County for the holiday weekend, but lane closings will resume Tuesday on southbound I-75 between Monroe and Erie, Mich.
New ramp and turn restrictions will affect Front Street at I-280 starting Wednesday.
As expected, traffic on Corey Road and in the Secor-Sylvania-Monroe Bermuda Triangle has worsened considerably because of the Talmadge Road bridge over I-475 being out of commission.
Motorists who normally use the Corey exit from eastbound I-475 should consider using U.S. 23 to Monroe Street to reach the Franklin Park area, and the Monroe entrance to U.S. 23 is worth a look for all vehicles leaving that busy commercial district.
Several readers have complained about the city s decision to close Woodley Road at I-475 during the Talmadge outage. The view here is that the city s only other alternative for dealing with cut-through traffic on Woodley would be to assign a phalanx of traffic police for speed enforcement.
1. I-280: All lanes will be open through the Veterans Glass City Skyway construction zone until late September, but a 35-mph speed limit remains in effect through the area.
Front Street has reopened at I-280. Starting Wednesday, it will be restricted to one lane each way and left turns will be prohibited between Dearborn Avenue and Esther Street, including at the I-280 ramps. The ramp from southbound I-280 to eastbound Front will be closed.
The northbound exit and southbound entrance at Greenbelt Parkway remain closed, as do Ash and Huron streets at I-280.
2. U.S. 20/23, State Rt. 420: Interchange construction closes one lane each way on Route 420 south of Truman Road. Pemberville Road is closed at U.S. 20/23 for overpass construction. Use Bradner or Lemoyne roads instead.
3. U.S. 24: Resurfacing requires flag zones between Luna Pier and Dunbar roads. Delays are likely.
4. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bridge: Preparatory work associated with draw span replacement requires varying lane closings. Some are only in effect from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, except on holidays, but others are full-time. Expect delays.
5. I-75: Southbound traffic will be restricted to one lane between LaPlaisance and Erie roads on Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. At other times after Tuesday morning, two lanes will be open in that area. Use M-125 or U.S. 23 instead.
6. Byrne Road: Bridge reconstruction and pavement work restrict traffic to one lane in each direction between Hill Avenue and Airport Highway, and between Glanzman Road and Glendale Avenue. Sewer construction closes lanes between Detroit and Stengel avenues and between Nebraska Avenue and Dorr Street.
7. State Rt. 246 (Dorr Street): Resurfacing and repair restrict traffic to one lane each way between Detroit Avenue and Collingwood Boulevard.
8. Laskey Road: Street reconstruction restricts traffic to eastbound-only between Talmadge and Secor roads. Westbound traffic is detoured via Alexis Road.
9. Summit Street: Bridge reconstruction restricts traffic to one lane each way at the Ottawa River.
10. Fulton-Lucas Road: Bridge repairs close the road between Airport Highway and Shaffer Road until mid-October. Use Scott Road instead.
11. Monroe Street (State Rt. 51): Widening and repaving require nighttime lane closings between Willis Boulevard and Crary Drive. The work zone includes the Secor Road and Sylvania Avenue intersections. Work hours are 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
12. I-475/Talmadge Road: The Talmadge bridge is closed for reconstruction until mid-October. I-475 ramps remain open, but there is no cross-freeway access. Detour via Secor Road or Corey Road but expect delays. City officials have closed Woodley Road at I-475 to prevent cut-throughs.
13. State Rt. 582: Pavement reconstruction closes the route between Dunbridge Road and State Rt. 199 through next week. A 12-mile detour will use State Rts. 199 and 105 and I-75.
14. State Rt. 199: Culvert replacements close the road between U.S. 6 and State Rt. 281 until Sept. 23.
15. Douglas Road: Sewer construction closes the street to through traffic between Laskey Road and Sylvania Avenue until Nov. 1. Detour via Tremainsville Road and Upton and Sylvania avenues. Continue south on Upton to reach eastbound I-475.
OFF THE MAP
I-75: Median barrier repairs require nighttime lane closings between Hancock County Road 99 and Findlay. Minor delays are possible.
U.S. 6/U.S. 20: Traffic is reduced to one lane each way at the western end of the Fremont Bypass, with temporary traffic signals regulating the merge between U.S. 6 and U.S. 20.
State Rt. 2: Rehabilitation of the Edison Bridge over Sandusky Bay restricts traffic to one lane each way full-time starting Tuesday.
State Rt. 108: Replacement of the Perry Street Bridge in Napoleon requires a six-mile detour, via U.S. 6 and State Rt. 110, until the new bridge opens in October.
Contact the Road Warrior at:roadwarrior@theblade.com or 419-724-6094.