GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A roadway headache for some is coming to an end. Road construction on US-131 will be completed this week.
“We’re on scheduled to open up by 3 p.m. Friday,” said MDOT spokesperson John Richard said.
But don't get too excited just yet.
Richard says there is one more day you may need to add some extra time to your commute.
“It's going to be extra congested and hectic [Thursday] between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,” he said.
Richard says that's because crews have to close down the southbound ramp to eastbound and westbound I-196. They also have to shutter eastbound and westbound I-196 ramps to southbound to wrap up the project.
“Crews have to pick up traffic control, they've got to get equipment out of there, they're going to make sure everything's buttoned up and open before the holiday weekend,” said Richard.
Richard says the project is wrapping up a couple days sooner than the project was expected to last, which is great timing for the weekend.
However, this may not be the end of construction, as researchers are looking to make a full reconstruction the road.
"We've been studying this segment for years, you know, coming up with different options about what to do what not to do. So yeah, we'd love to modernize and fully rebuild 131 from 28th Street, through downtown Grand Rapids,” said Richard.
But you shouldn’t think that project will happen anytime soon.
Work like that could cost as much as $600 to $700 million and would require a lot of changes that could impact the areas this project would take place.
With this maintenance project wrapping up, Richard says to continue to plan ahead just a couple more days.
“If you're running late, stressed out, and then you hit the road, and it's jammed up. That's just you know, you just kind of skyrocket your stress level. So if you look, before you go, especially the night before, it really eases a lot of that stress,” said Richard.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.