By Terry Oparka
C & G Staff Writer

TROY — As motorists adjust routes to bypass the work being completed on Stephenson Highway in Troy, the Michigan Department of Transportation announced bridge work on I-75 from Maple Road to Crooks.

The work is slated to begin July 8.

Initially, the I-75 project will restrict one lane in both directions while crews pave the shoulders to prepare for a traffic shift, said MDOT spokesman Rob Morosi.

Once traffic is shifted, two lanes of traffic will remain open during peak travel periods, 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday. In addition, two lanes will remain open northbound until midnight on Friday nights, and southbound on Sundays after 3 p.m. 

The work will include a safety upgrade to the Rochester Road entrance ramp to southbound I-75. The ramp will be lengthened to allow motorists additional time to accelerate and merge with freeway traffic.

Bridge work in Troy will include northbound and southbound bridges over:

• Maple.

• Rochester.

• Livernois.

• Big Beaver.

• Wattles.

• Long Lake.

Also included are the northbound and southbound exits to the Big Beaver ramp.

“The plan is to keep two out of three lanes open,” Morosi said. He added that some of the ramps might need to be closed during the project, due to their proximity to the bridges, but consecutive ramps would not be closed at the same time.

“The goal is to complete the project my mid-December,” he said. Meanwhile, he urged motorists to seek alternate routes onto the freeway from 14 Mile Road or 12 Mile Road, especially people traveling southbound.

All three lanes of traffic between Long Lake and Lapeer Road will remain open during the duration of the project, he said.

The estimated cost of the I-75 project is $3.79 million, and federal funding will cover $3.33 million. The local share, being split by MDOT and the city of Troy, is $453,765, of which Troy’s portion is 12 percent, or  $56,715.

Meanwhile, construction work continues to replace deteriorating concrete with asphalt overlay on Stephenson from 14 Mile to I-75.

Work includes curb and gutter replacements, relocation of existing traffic turnaround lanes to improve safety, installation of a new traffic signal at Stephenson and Maple Road, and modifications to the existing traffic signals north and south of that intersection.

Access to businesses and access to property remains open, said Bill Huotari, deputy city engineer. He noted that the project is on schedule and is expected to be completed in October.

For updates on the Stephenson Highway project, visit www.troymi.gov. For updates on the I-75 project, visit www.michigan.gov/mdot, click on Road and Bridge Projects.         

You can reach Staff Writer Terry Oparka at toparka@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1054.