The 2021 construction season has a lot of improvements in store throughout the project! Although the schedule is subject to change, some of the planned work planned for next year includes:

North of M-102 (8 Mile Road) to I-696:

• The southbound lanes of the I-75 freeway and the southbound service drive will be rebuilt
• Shevlin Avenue Bridge will be rebuilt
• Pedestrian Bridges to be rebuilt: Highland Avenue and Browning Avenue
• The drainage tunnel work will continue 
• Sound wall construction along SB I-75

To achieve this, southbound I-75 traffic from I-696 to 8 Mile Road will be shifted to the newly completed northbound lanes. The configuration will mimic what was done in 2020 with a traffic shift to maintain two lanes in each direction.

North of I-696 to Coolidge Highway:

• Rebuilding southbound I-75 from north of 13 Mile to north of 12 Mile roads, including replacing the southbound I-75 bridge over 13 Mile Road.
• The 11 Mile Road vehicular bridge and Bellaire pedestrian bridge will be rebuilt
• Sound wall construction work will be continued in the vicinity of Wattles Road
• Signal installation and completion of the diverging diamond interchange at Big Beaver and 14 Mile Roads
• Landscaping from 13 Mile Road to Coolidge Highway
• Final (Punch-list) items to complete the section between 13 Mile and Coolidge Highway

An open house is tentatively scheduled for February 2021 to primarily address the 2021 active construction work, ahead of the construction season, where additional details will be provided.  Stay connected with the project by following us on Facebook and Twitter or subscribe to our email list for announcements http://www.modernize75.com/find-information/contact-us/.

With three lanes now open in each direction between Coolidge Highway and Big Beaver, motorists are enjoying the newly rebuilt pavement as they make their way throughout the corridor.  In this flyover footage you can see the newly opened roadway, reconstructed ramps at Crooks Road/Corporate Boulevard, drainage ditches along the corridor, as well as some of additional improvements made this year.   

Eliza has been busy! Check out these images of the shaft site at I-696 and our first look inside the tunnel. Pictured in the photo are the rail tracks that help miners move materials safely in and out of the tunnel as Eliza bores through the ground. The other photo shows a miner working on the track system inside of the tunnel, as well as the overhead lighting and ventilation pipe to provide fresh air for the workers underground; and utility lines that provide water, compressed air and electricity to Eliza.   Eliza has now traveled over 1,300-ft north from the I-696 Shaft Site (northeast corner of the I-75/I-696 interchange), placing her just north of the Hudson Avenue  and  northbound service drive intersection.  For more information on Eliza and the drainage tunnel please visit our Project Highlights page  http://modernize75.com/Project-Highlights-Tunnel.   

Although much of the mainline work has stopped for the season, there is still progress being made along the service drives and embankments.  Check out this flyover footage from earlier this month to see how it is coming along. 

We recently shared footage of the progression of the vehicular bridge over I-75 at Meyers Avenue; in this video you can see the progress of a pedestrian crossing.  The Harry Avenue Pedestrian bridge was demolished in the spring of 2020 and rebuilt for use by the fall.  The pedestrian bridges throughout the corridor are a vital part of the community, and we are very happy to see the new structures being used. 

As part of the corridor modernization, vehicle and pedestrian crossings are being replaced.  In this Meyers Avenue bridge video, you can see the construction progression from the existing structure demolition, to rebuilding the new structure, and finally reopening the bridge to traffic.