MDOT speaks on Bay Co. traffic jams
BAY CO., Mich. (WNEM) - Construction in Bay County means a longer commute for some as work on westbound us 10 continues.
There is a new detour drivers need to consider.
“We are starting to see some congestion from that project. We do have a lot of traffic impacts right now,” Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) spokesperson Jocelyn Garza said about the westbound US-10 detour that began in Bay City.
Garza said MDOT is monitoring traffic volumes to see if any adjustments need to be made along the detour.
RELATED: Construction to begin on westbound US-10
“It typically takes a couple of weeks before we can make a really educated move on changing a traffic configuration to help congestion,” she explained.
While MDOT made it widely known that there would be delays around US-10, a new wrinkle popped up: the ramp from eastbound US-10 to southbound I-75 is closed.
“It wasn’t something that was originally on any of our detour plans. It wasn’t something that we’d approve with the contractor,” Garza said.
That contractor is performing work on the 3 Mile Road bridge just west of the US-10/I-75 interchange. Garza said the contractor needed the ramp from eastbound US-10 to southbound I-75 closed.
“That is one I’m expecting us to take a licking on it,” she said. “People will be frustrated about that and that’s an absolutely understandable frustration for them.”
Garza said the ramp will be closed until just before the Fourth of July holiday. She wants drivers to remember that this is the price of progress.
“They’re going to have a much nicer road in the long run and that, of course, is going to make their regular commute for the foreseeable future much easier. So this is a short amount of inconvenience for some really long-term payoff with this project,” Garza said.
Drivers trying to go from eastbound US-10 to southbound I-75 can head east and turn right on S. Euclid Avenue in Bay City and then take Salzburg Avenue to westside Saginaw Road.
Garza said MDOT’s goal with a construction project is to not have anyone’s commute delayed by more than 10 minutes.
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