I-94 Expansion Project [[Roadway to Detroit's Future)

[Junkin4Life]

The current schedule for the project calls for the construction of the 10 most critical bridges over I-94 between 2012 and 2016, with major construction on
I-94 proper beginning in 2018. So the first ground to break will be replacement of the bridge at Gratiot Avenue, sometime next year.

Project details can be found on our website by clicking:
http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9621_11058_53088_53115---,00.html

If you have any questions about this project, please contact:

Terry A. Stepanski, P.E.
Senior Project Manager
Michigan Department of Transportation
425 W. Ottawa Street
P.O. Box 30050
Lansing, MI 48909
Office517) 241-0233
Cell: [[517) 204-2656
email: stepanskit@michigan.gov

[313WX]

Is this the ultimate plan Michigan has to expand I-94 to 4 lanes wide each direction?

Yep, this state has its prioritries screwed. We can afford to spend billions of dollars on more roadways yet it's like pulling teeth to get one measely rail line down Woodward.

[Junkin4Life]

Is this the ultimate plan Michigan has to expand I-94 to 4 lanes wide each direction?

Yep, this state has its prioritries screwed. We can afford to spend billions of dollars on more roadways yet it's like pulling teeth to get one measely rail line down Woodward.

yes indeed

[Wesley Mouch]

...We can afford to spend billions of dollars on more roadways yet it's like pulling teeth to get one measely rail line down Woodward.

Regardless of whether this is the best thing MDOT can do, it sure is needed. And Detroit has too long had freeways that have not been as well maintained as the outlands.

[Gistok]

Regardless... these bridges between Conner Ave. and I-96 need replacing... they've been doing patches on some of them [[such as the Van Dyke bridge) in the past, and if they don't rebuild them It's just a matter of time until a chunk of bridge comes down on some motorists.

[Scottathew]

[313WX]

5 lanes wide?

Seriously?

For the record, I do think the bridge work is necessary.

But yeah, this was already beaten to death in the original thread about it, but it would cost just as much to build and maintain this expansion project that it would a decent transit system for Detroit.

[Gistok]

5 lanes wide?

Seriously?

For the record, I do think the bridge work is necessary.

The video shows 5 and sometimes 6 lanes in some spots... but the audio portion mentions only 4 lanes... which probably will be 5 lanes at each interchange.

[SteveJ]

5 lanes wide?

Seriously?

For the record, I do think the bridge work is necessary.

But yeah, this was already beaten to death in the original thread about it, but it would cost just as much to build and maintain this expansion project that it would a decent transit system for Detroit.

Yeah but the Feds will pay 90% and we badly need an expansion on I-94 for all the truck traffic heading between Illinois and Port Huron. The Feds also pay 90% when it comes to maintenance. Don't try to mix this with a bus system. Completely different topics.

[EL Jimbo]

Yeah but the Feds will pay 90% and we badly need an expansion on I-94 for all the truck traffic heading between Illinois and Port Huron. The Feds also pay 90% when it comes to maintenance. Don't try to mix this with a bus system. Completely different topics.

It's actually 80%. Also, doing this project won't come from a special pool of federal money that isn't currently being tapped. MDOT gets money from the feds every year to do projects. In order to do this mega project, it just means that the money used for it is not being used to do a whole bunch of other projects the money could go towards.

[Gistok]

It's actually 80%. Also, doing this project won't come from a special pool of federal money that isn't currently being tapped. MDOT gets money from the feds every year to do projects. In order to do this mega project, it just means that the money used for it is not being used to do a whole bunch of other projects the money could go towards.

It's not like this is being done in 1 year... this is likely a 5+ year project... so the money will be spread out....

I do agree with the need to widen I-75 between from 8-16 Mile. Why I-75 is 4 lanes near Frankenmuth escapes me??

I disagree with the need to change the Square Lake exit off of I-75. It may be a left Exit... but due to its' enormous size... the cost would never be worth it.

I also think that I-94 should be widened from 2 to 3 lanes from US-23 [[east of Ann Arbor) to Jackson Rd. [[west of Ann Arbor).

[EL Jimbo]

It's not like this is being done in 1 year... this is likely a 5+ year project... so the money will be spread out....

I do agree with the need to widen I-75 between from 8-16 Mile. Why I-75 is 4 lanes near Frankenmuth escapes me??

I disagree with the need to change the Square Lake exit off of I-75. It may be a left Exit... but due to its' enormous size... the cost would never be worth it.

I also think that I-94 should be widened from 2 to 3 lanes from US-23 [[east of Ann Arbor) to Jackson Rd. [[west of Ann Arbor).

It's going to be A LOT of money. Much more so than your typical road work. MDOT could fix a lot more miles of road for the amount they are putting into this.

[j to the jeremy]

Widen more roads...disinvest in transit...I'm now accepting suggestions for a new city to move to after school.....

[Brian1979]

I-94 really needs to be widened throughout the state, I drive to Chicago on a regular basis and use I-94 all the time, the added third lane in K-Zoo is nice now the traffic flows through there smoothly before the traffic would backup it was two lanes. With as much truck traffic that uses I-94 it should be a three lane throughout the state and four in the entire Detroit area, the trucks get in the left lanes to pass each other and take five minutes to pass, you are driving at 75-80 mph and these trucks are going 60 and taking up your time.

[hortonz]

I would like to know if the I-94 expansion project is linked to the Essex Windsor Parkway that is being built to link highway 401 in Windsor to the new border crossing being touted by federal governments on both sides of the border. A friend of mine suggested that the purpose of the I-94 work and the Essex Windsor Parkway is to allow motorists travelling from Chicago to Toronto to bypass the cities of Detroit and Windsor. I would not be surprised if that was the end result.

[Genesyxx]

Too bad this doesn't include a mass transit option. A crosstown train would be a good look.

[Brian1979]

I don't understand why I-75 never gets mentioned for widening. It gets really heavy between 8 and 16 that's a 10 mile stretch of bumper to bumper traffic every single day and that's only 3 lanes in each direction too. I-75 is weird like that though it goes from 4 lanes in the city of Detroit to 3 lanes after 8 Mile to 4 lanes after Square Lake all the way to Joslyn, then 3 lanes all the way to I-475 then down to 2 lanes until 23 comes in, then to 4 lanes between I-475 and Bridgeport, back down to 3 lanes until you get to the other side of the Zilwaukee Bridge, then back to 4 lanes between I-675 and Wilder, then down to 2 lanes for most of the way up to the Soo, it might be 3 lanes in certain areas. The Zilwaukee Bridge is 4 lanes in each direction too, then it cuts off the right lane as exit ramps on both sides of the bridge.

I don't know why I-75 is 4 lanes in each direction in some rural areas. I'm thinking it has to do with the northbound traffic on summer Friday's and southbound traffic on summer Sunday's, but why not have it 4 lanes in each direction from Detroit all the way to Bay City then?

The Lodge is 3 lanes each direction too, should we widen the Lodge now too?

[Detroitnerd]

Model D, booster of Detroit business, comes out against I-94 expansion, urges people to show up and let MDOT know this plan is not wanted or needed.

http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/opinion613.aspx

[takascar]

Yeah but the Feds will pay 90% and we badly need an expansion on I-94 for all the truck traffic heading between Illinois and Port Huron. The Feds also pay 90% when it comes to maintenance. Don't try to mix this with a bus system. Completely different topics.

Yes, I agree. Also, social engineering is resented by Americans. People don't like to ride public transportation with smelly drunks and drug addicts, nor do they like to face the possibility of being robbed to and from work. People want their cars and they wont move to public transportation in large enough numbers. What would you suggest wrt I-94 if we don't spend the money on repairing it? Close it down? Because thats what you will need to do it the road is not upgraded. You can't force people to do what they don't want to do, even if you could, it would not be right.

[Hermod]

Yes, I agree. Also, social engineering is resented by Americans. People don't like to ride public transportation with smelly drunks and drug addicts, nor do they like to face the possibility of being robbed to and from work. People want their cars and they wont move to public transportation in large enough numbers. What would you suggest wrt I-94 if we don't spend the money on repairing it? Close it down? Because thats what you will need to do it the road is not upgraded. You can't force people to do what they don't want to do, even if you could, it would not be right.

Allof the transit proposals being casually tossed around in here are all on radial routes. None seem to be aimed at a good crosstown route [[always Detroit's weakness until the Davison and Ford Xpwys were built.

[Detroitnerd]

All of the transit proposals being casually tossed around in here are all on radial routes. None seem to be aimed at a good crosstown route [[always Detroit's weakness until the Davison and Ford Xpwys were built.

Discounting the four or five streetcar lines [[Warren/Forest, Jefferson/Fort, Buchanan/Mack, Harper/McGraw, Baker) that is. It would be good to have some crosstown routes, I agree, taking cars off I-94 and reinvigorating some of the more desolate strips the Ford left when it took people off the city streets.

[Gistok]

On the west side service drives are virtually non-existent on I-94. But on the east side I-94 and Harper Ave. are intertwined into a series of partial service drives on the side of the freeway opposite Harper Ave. One would guess a continuous service drive would be nice... but that could cause problems with Harper, since in many stretches of the east side it is a commercial service drive of I-94.

[Scottathew]

We need to get the I-75 corridor project rolling that will add a fourth [[planned HOV) lane between 8 Mile and M-59.

Possible things that could happen there:

- Redo of Square Lake Exit\entrance so that exits and entrances are made on the RIGHT side, and not the left side
- 12 Mile SPUI [[Single Point Urban Interchange)
- 14 Mile exit offshoot directly to Concord
- Braiding of WB I-696 to I-75 ramp to give direct exit to I-75 service drive @ 11 Mile from ramp, instead of offering as part of merge\weave
- Widening of many bridges in Madison Heights\Royal Oak\Troy
- Demolition of Dallas bridge just south of Lincoln

[jt1]

We need to get the I-75 corridor project rolling that will add a fourth [[planned HOV) lane between 8 Mile and M-59.

Possible things that could happen there:

- Redo of Square Lake Exit\entrance so that exits and entrances are made on the RIGHT side, and not the left side
- 12 Mile SPUI [[Single Point Urban Interchange)
- 14 Mile exit offshoot directly to Concord
- Braiding of WB I-696 to I-75 ramp to give direct exit to I-75 service drive @ 11 Mile from ramp, instead of offering as part of merge\weave
- Widening of many bridges in Madison Heights\Royal Oak\Troy
- Demolition of Dallas bridge just south of Lincoln

Uh no. Politicians have been pushing for this for a long time. During that time I have spent a lot of time on 75 during rush hour and there is absolutely no need for expansion. With the exception of a brief delay at 696 and 14 mile there is no back up or slow down in traffic.

This would be an absolute waste of money.

[Scottathew]

Uh no. Politicians have been pushing for this for a long time. During that time I have spent a lot of time on 75 during rush hour and there is absolutely no need for expansion. With the exception of a brief delay at 696 and 14 mile there is no back up or slow down in traffic.

This would be an absolute waste of money.

I partially disagree. I-75 is very congested between 8-Mile all the way through 14 Mile. This is due to several reasons:

- Traffic coming on from certain 12 Mile ramps is entering at 30 MPH
- Gardenia curve slowdown
- Not enough capacity at 696 Interchange
- 9 Mile curve slowdown

But north of 15 Mile road, you may be very right.

I'd love to see 13 Mile road ramps, but I know that will never happen, nor have I even seen it discussed.

A 12 Mile SPUI and elimination of the 30 MPH entrance ramps would alleviate a lot of congestion there even without adding lanes.


Although I would love to see improvement at I-75\I-94 too. Every morning SB-I75 is slow approaching I-94 because of huge backups from traffic wanting to get on WB I-94.