GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Drivers are describing to me their impressions of navigating the construction at the interchange of I-96 and Cascade Road. In a word: “a mess.”
Traffic on I-96 so far has been unaffected, but traffic on Cascade Road is being disrupted, and some drivers seem confused by the lane closures, the tight turns off the freeway ramps, and the squeezes at both ends of the lane closures on Cascade Road.
If you’re eastbound on I-96, you can avoid all of it:
- From eastbound I-96: Exit early at M-21 Fulton Street, go east to Forest Hill Avenue, then south on Forest Hill Avenue to Cascade Road.
- You can also use Fulton Street via the East Beltline if you’re on Cascade Road to the west of I-96.
You don’t have options from westbound I-96, but both ramps are still open for now, so access to Cascade Road is easier than from eastbound I-96.
Note that in the future, the lane closures on Cascade Road will be extended all the way to Forest Hill Avenue as Cascade Road is resurfaced between I-96 and Forest Hill Avenue. I don’t yet have a start date for that part of the project.
