Detroit highway lane closures

Many of the people who work in downtown Detroit don't live there. I am one of those, living in Royal Oak and making the drive south each morning. Recently, the Michigan Department of Transportation revealed its brilliant idea to close lanes at two separate areas of I-75, both within the busiest stretch of freeway. The first lane closure is just south of I-696 at Nine Mile Road where construction crews are working to lower the freeway two inches. With concerns of losing my sanity, I am not going explain why half of metro Detroit is late to work so that MDOT can lower the freeway two inches.

The second lane closure is further south at the Davidson. Between the two lane closures, and since most Detroit-area drivers were tragically born without the part of the human brain that controls vehicular merging, I-75 is less of a freeway and more of a parking lot. Since parking on I-75 and walking to work would really be too much exercise, I decided to slightly modify my route.

From Royal Oak, Southbound on Woodward is smooth sailing, until McNichols, at which point it feels like the road goes from 74 lanes to two. Not to worry though, about a mile south is the Davidson, and, after jumping across a few lanes, Southbound Lodge moves well. It probably doesn't take much more time than I-75 when, during that one month per year, there is no construction.

Sources:

http://mdotwas1.mdot.state.mi.us/public/LaneClosure/index.cfm?ShowAll=2&Region=&County=82&Roadway=&FromDate=07%2F28%2F2010&ToDate=07%2F28%2F2010&Submit=Submit