ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A southwest Michigan indian tribe is shouldering most of the financial burden to rebuild an interchange on U.S. 131.
The Michigan Department of Transportation has announced that the Gun Lake Tribe will pay 95 percent of project costs for a rebuild of the U.S. 131 interchange at M-179, right near the tribe’s casino location.
MDOT says that the interchange was built in 1959 and remains in good condition, but the tribe earlier approached state transportation officials proposing a possible rebuild, open to the idea of using their own funds for the project.
Initial work on the rebuild is slated to begin in the fall of 2020, with most of the project taking place in 2021. The tribe has agreed to pay the estimated $20 to $25 million to complete the project, which involve the reconstruction of on and off ramps to Gun Lake Casino and its parking lot.
Gun Lake Tribal leaders and MDOT officials are holding a public meeting to discuss the future construction. The Thursday, February 13th meeting will take place from 4 to 6 P.M. at the Gun Lake Tribal Administrative Building on Mission Drive in Shelbyville.
