The Michigan Department of Transportation is gearing up for a large reconstruction project on I-496. A public meeting is scheduled Tuesday to discuss the plan.
Starting in April, M-DOT will rebuild I-496 and fix up bridges from Lansing Road to I-96. That’s five and a half miles of highway.
Greg Losch is manager of the department’s Transportation Service Center in Lansing. During construction, he says traffic will be shut down in one direction at a time. Eastbound I-496 will close first, and detours will send drivers to Lansing Road.
Losch says the goal is to save time and prevent accidents. “It separates the workers from the traffic," he explains, "and in our opinion, it becomes a much safer way to construct the project.”
The estimated cost of the project is $60-million dollars. Federal funding will pay for about 80-percent of that. Losch hopes the project will be completed in November.
The project also includes a partnership with Ingham County and Delta and Lansing Townships for construction work on Waverly Road, between Lansing Road and St. Joseph Highway.
The meeting to discuss the project is from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Delta Township Hall on Saginaw Highway. Information on the project can be found here.