GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Drivers don’t take it lightly when a freeway is closed for months at a time. So, when the Michigan Department of Transportation announced I-196 eastbound over the Grand River would be closed for about a year and a half, there was a lot of talk.
But the project, scheduled to begin in October 2022, hasn’t happened.
There has been a lot of talk about that, too.
Which is understandable; the bridges handle about 80,000 vehicles a day.
“This is $100 million project to replace eastbound and westbound Interstate 196 over the Grand River by Market Avenue,” notes John Richard, spokesperson at MDOT’s Grand Region. “This is a major, major roadway.”
But that $100 million budget fell short of rising costs. “The price just shot up,” Richard laments. “So we thought well, you know, we don't want to start this and then not have enough funding to finish it. So we're going to shelve this for now.”
“But the good news is we won't be shutting down Interstate 196 over the Grand River.”
For now.
The Michigan Department of Transportation plans a total replacement of both bridges. “This will be a full replacement, all the way down to the piers,” Richard says. That’s why the project will take so long.
When the project begins, the plan is still to close eastbound I-196 first, so drivers should plot their workarounds.
“There's plenty of spots where you can get off,” Richard advises. “You can get off at Jenison, 28th Street, Chicago Drive, you can go all the way up to Market. So, there will be plenty of spots for traffic to disperse.”
Whenever it happens, the eastbound bridge is expected to take 18 to 24 months to replace. Then the westbound bridge will be replaced, causing I-196 westbound to be closed.
When this all happens is yet to be determined, especially since prices tend to go up faster than they come back down.
“It's difficult to plan for upcoming projects,” Richard notes.
