KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Michigan Department of Transportation says it will be moving to the next phase of the expansion I-94 in the Kalamazoo area starting April 9 as crews begin moving eastbound traffic onto the newly built lanes between Lovers Lane and Sprinkle Road.
This is the second year of work on the two-year project to widen 2.7 miles of I-94 from four to six lanes between Lovers Lane and Sprinkle Road in Kalamazoo. The Portage Road interchange is being rebuilt with a single-point urban interchange, realigning Kilgore Road at Portage Road.
The $87 million investment connects several I-94 expansion projects from west of US-131 to Sprinkle Road completed since 2008. A video explaining the project has been produced by MDOT.
Work for the next couple months will focus on the median (drainage, new median barriers, and shoulder work) in preparation for shifting westbound traffic over to the eastbound lanes around June 1 as crews begin rebuilding westbound I-94 between Sprinkle Road and Lovers Lane, as well as several ramps at the Portage Road and Sprinkle Road interchanges: Portage Road to westbound I-94, westbound I-94 to Portage Road, and Sprinkle Road to westbound I-94.
Two lanes of traffic will be open on I-94 in each direction during this stage of the project, and detours for ramp closures will be posted.
Work in 2022 also will include rebuilding Portage Road from Airview Boulevard to Bloomfield Avenue, and Kilgore Road west of Portage Road. Two-way traffic will be maintained on each of those roads with a traffic shift, but motorists should expect congestion and delays, particularly during peak travel times.
There will be short-duration total closures of Portage Road for I-94 bridge demolition and later to set bridge beams. There also will be a 24-day total closure of Kilgore Road. When those closures are scheduled by the contractor, the dates and detour routes will be announced.
Despite experiencing delays in 2021, MDOT and its contractors anticipate having a majority of the work completed this year and all lanes of I-94, Portage Road and Kilgore Road reopened in December 2022.
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