Freeway bridge closures, detours planned

By Scott Sullivan
Editor
Blue Star Highway bridge abridgments this summer at I-196 Exits 41 and 36 will not be simultaneous, the Michigan Department of Transportation told local officials May 11.
Exit 41 reconstruction is up first June 6 through Aug. 22, The overpass will be closed but all exits/entrances to the freeway will stay open, said MDOT. (See map for details.)
Exit 36 bridge reconstruction will start the next day, Aug. 23, and run through Nov. 17, per MDOT schedules.
Northbound freeway and Blue Star travelers will need to continue to Exit 41, then turn left off the ramp to access Saugatuck and Douglas. (See second map for details.)
MDOT officials anticipate backups on southbound Blue Star in Douglas as travelers access the 196 southbound ramp. This could make left turns off Wiley Road difficult. The department assured local leaders their solution to the latter would be a four-way stop at Blue Star and Wiley, as a trafficlights are cost prohibitive.