2 miles of I-496 in Ingham County getting $80 million in improvements

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Residents in Ingham County are about to see what $80 million of infrastructure looks like as two miles of I-496 receive an upgrade.

Work is scheduled to begin next week on the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) improvements to I-496 in Ingham County. It’s part of the state’s Rebuilding Michigan program, which aims to rebuild the highways and bridges that are critical to the state’s economy and carry the most traffic. The investment strategy targets fixes that result in longer useful lives and improves the condition of the state’s infrastructure.

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Both directions of I-496 traffic will be detoured between Lansing Road and the Grand River during the work. It’s expected to last from 6 a.m. on June 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 15.

It’s not a minor project: It will include rebuilding the freeway and interchange ramps, including operational improvements from the Lansing Road and M-99 (Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) interchanges, preventive maintenance on 17 bridges, and upgrades to the service drives from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the east. However, officials believe the time and money invested will be more than made up for by the improvements.

Officials say, aside from the long term benefits of increased safety and mobility in this area of I-496, economic models indicate the work is expected to directly and indirectly support 1,016 jobs.

“The work will require detouring I-496 traffic in each direction to Malcom X and St. Joseph streets, respectively, along with periodic closures of structures over I-496,” MDOT officials wrote in a release. “Motorists should expect delays.”

Overall project completion for the I-496 project is expected in November of 2023.

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