More Road Closures This Weekend

With all the road construction going on around here, travel is a bit of a challenge, and this weekend there will be another challenge, 44th Street!

The 44th Street bridge over US-131 will be closed to all traffic this weekend from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, June 25-28. Two of the exit ramps will also be closed because the Michigan Department of Transportation will be conducting maintenance and sealing work.

Access to 44th Street from US-131 will be available on a limited basis. Southbound traffic from the freeway will be able to turn right to go west on 44th Street. Northbound traffic will be allowed to turn right to go east.

Confused? Me too, about the turns, but if you have to use 44th over 131, this is the best information we have.

All of the other major construction projects seem to be on pace, but it's going to be a long summer and fall of road construction.

The two big ones, of course, are the bridge-deck replacement of the Ford Freeway, I-196 over 131, and that project is scheduled to last through July. And the other is the widening of the Ford Freeway with an additional lane, both East and West bound, from Fuller to the East Beltline/I-96 merge. That will be a huge relief for inbound and outbound traffic of Downtown Grand Rapids when it's completed. MDOT says that will take through the end of July to complete, but looking at the reconstruction now, I'm not so sure. Certainly looks like a longer construction period to me. We'll see.

Happy traveling!