The Blade's Road Warrior
10/28/2005The Blade s Road Warrior advises readers where the biggest driving headaches will be throughout the construction season. He ll tell you locations to avoid and detours to take.
Motorists on northbound I-75 at the River Raisin in Monroe are getting that deja vu feeling these days.
The Michigan Department of Transportation has called a contractor back to redo a bridge deck replaced earlier this year. The finished product had several waves in it that made driving akin to a mild roller-coaster ride.
How long the task will take has not been disclosed, but motorists should expect at least one more weekend when northbound I-75 is reduced to one lane at the River Raisin, while the second half of the replacement deck is poured. The first half was done last weekend.
This weekend, southbound I-75 will be down from three lanes to one between LaPlaisance and Erie roads for pavement patching. Long delays are likely, so consider using M-125 south out of Monroe or U.S. 23 south from I-94.
1. I-280: The freeway is closed between Greenbelt Parkway and Summit Street for bridge construction. Through traffic is detoured via State Rt. 795 and I-75. Expect delays at the Ohio Turnpike/I-75 toll plaza.
The Summit entrance to the southbound Craig Memorial Bridge is open during the I-280 closing, which is expected to continue into mid-May.
Front Street is restricted to one lane each way at I-280, and left turns are prohibited between Dearborn Avenue and Esther Street, including I-280 ramps until Nov. 14.
The ramp from southbound I-280 to eastbound Front Street is closed until Nov. 14, while the Front Street entrance to northbound I-280 is closed until Nov. 30. Ash and Huron streets are closed 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. Completion is scheduled for November.
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: Pavement and bridge rehabilitation restricts southbound I-75 to a single lane between LaPlaisance and Erie roads from 9 p.m. today until 5 a.m. Monday. Two lanes will be open at other times. All northbound lanes and ramps are open, but unannounced additional lane closings in either direction are possible into next month.
Bridge work at Ready Road, near South Rockwood, Mich., closes one lane in each direction. Bridge work at the River Raisin in Monroe closes one northbound lane and shifts traffic.
6. Byrne Road: Bridge reconstruction and pavement work restrict traffic to one lane in each direction between Hill Avenue and Airport Highway, and between Heatherdowns Boulevard and Glendale Avenue. Sewer construction blocks through traffic on Byrne between Detroit and Stengel avenues until Wednesday.
7. State Rt. 246 (Dorr Street): Resurfacing restricts traffic to one lane in each direction between Detroit Avenue and Collingwood Boulevard.
8. Laskey Road: Street reconstruction restricts traffic to westbound only between Secor and Talmadge roads. Eastbound traffic is detoured via Alexis Road. Completion is expected during the first week of November.
9. Summit Street: Bridge reconstruction that has restricted traffic to one lane each way at the Ottawa River since early last year should be wrapping up within the next week.
10. Washington Street: Rehabilitation closes Washington between 11th and Michigan streets. Use Monroe Street instead.
11. Cherry and Summit Street intersection: Resurfacing requires occasional lane closings, with delays possible on the Martin Luther King, Jr., Bridge.
12. Detroit Avenue (U.S. 24): The street has reopened between Schneider Road and Sherwood Avenue, but motorists may be delayed while repaving continues.
OFF THE MAP
I-75: Median barrier repairs require nighttime lane closings between Hancock County Road 99 and Findlay, while crack sealing will require daytime lane closings between Beaverdam and Bluffton, Ohio, next week.
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.
U.S. 6: A culvert replacement will close the route at Wapakoneta Road in Wood County through next week. Detour via State Rts. 109, 281, and 25.
State Rt. 2: Rehabilitation of the Edison Bridge over Sandusky Bay restricts traffic to one lane each way. Delays are possible, especially on weekends.
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 tomorrow evening.
Contact the Road Warrior at: roadwarrior@theblade.com or 419-724-6094.