US-131 detour could add 15 minutes to your commute

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A major detour on US-131 starting Sunday is going to cause travel delays for drivers for the next several weeks.

Drivers should plan for longer commutes on parts of US-131 northbound over the next four weeks.

“It’ll likely be congested because obviously we’re detouring 120,000 vehicles that use US-131 on a daily basis,” said John Richard, the Michigan Department of Transportation’s communications representative for its Grand Region. “So this is going to be challenging for everybody.”

The highway is now being closed and detoured at M-11, also known as 28th Street.

“Traffic will be detoured south of there,” Richard said. “We’re going to send people west on M-6 to pick up I-196, or they can head east on M-6 to pick up M-37 or I-96.”

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One lane of northbound US-131 will stay open from Burton Street to Pearl Street. Northbound entrance ramps will be closed at Market Avenue, 28th Street, 36th Street and 44th Street.

There will also be short-term closures, generally running between three to four days each, for northbound on and off ramps at Burton, Hall, Martin Luther King Jr. and Wealthy streets. Those closures will each run separately, Richard said.

If traffic flows well through the detours, MDOT estimates it will add 10 to 15 minutes to commutes. But it could get a lot worse.

“If things get congested, that’s when the delays really compound,” Richard said.

Richard is hoping motorists find an alternate route much earlier than 28th Street so there’s less of a delay for everybody.

MDOT will be rehabilitating the old Plaster Creek Bridge, just south of Burton Street. It’s a $6.2 million project achieved through a state and federal funding match.

“They need some maintenance and they can’t have any vibrations on the bridges,” Richard said. “There can’t be any weight on the bridges, that’s why we’re doing the full closure.”

It’s only a temporary fix. Modernizing the entire stretch of road between 28th Street and Pearl Street would cost between $600 and $700 million, which MDOT hopes to get in future funding.

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“It definitely needs some TLC and we have to find that funding to modernize and reconstruct and rebuild that whole thing for a long-term fix,” Richard said.

These closures will continue through May 1. Once the crews finish up, they’ll start working on the other side, closing southbound US-131 at Burton Street for another four weeks. One lane of southbound US-131 will remain open from Ann Street to Burton Street.

Shutting down traffic on US-131 is aimed at protecting workers and helping them fix the bridge faster.

MDOT is asking for drivers to be patient and go slow, so they don’t cause an accident and cause even bigger traffic delays.

“Driving is very stressful and it’s one of the most dangerous things we do, and we do it on a daily basis,” Richard said. “If you can allow more time, use more patience, try to enjoy the ride.”

You can check out MDOT’s Mi Drive Map to stay updated on the project.

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