(Source: MIRS.news, Published 11/23/2022) Interstate 496, the main freeway for state Capitol and downtown Lansing traffic, between Martin Luther King and Cedar in Lansing reopened at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, but several exits remain closed and more construction is coming.
Michigan Department of Transportation Spokesperson Aaron Jenkins said there was a roughly six-week delay in reopening the nearly two-mile stretch of the spur because of the unexpected depth of the old drainage culverts, which required more work than planned for.
“Our plan was to get it done by the end of construction season, but it is a few weeks later than we thought it would be,” Jenkins said.
He said the exits between mile marker five and U.S. Route 127 remain closed because there are traffic lights that need to be installed and each of the exits would open as they're finished. He anticipated that would be around mid-December.
He said the I-496 spur was built in 1970. It wasn't practical for MDOT to continue servicing the stretch, so it was replaced it instead.
“Overall, it’s been a really good construction season here at 496 and we’ve got a lot of positive feedback from businesses and local residents,” Jenkins said.
Next season will also see construction moving farther along I-496 toward the Ingham-Eaton County line. That's expected to open in the spring.
“I’m sure all the people who have to utilize that highway are going to be happier, because they will have two lanes open, and three in certain areas, instead of just the one that is currently open,” he said.
The same area next year is expected to add a third lane between the Capital Loop exit and the Lansing Road exit to relieve congestion in that area, which will continue with the one-lane until it is finished.
Another construction project in 2023, which is not expected to impact traffic, is a noise wall along westbound I-496 at the Grand Avenue exit.
Malcolm X Boulevard and West St. Joseph Street, which were used as the detour lanes during construction, will be resurfaced by MDOT next summer.
“We just want to let the city know that we’re thankful for them helping us out with that,” Jenkins said.
