BENTON HARBOR, MI — Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Representative Fred Upton recently celebrated the completion of the US-31 project in Berrien County linking the highway to I-94. For decades, the project was stalled, but is now getting done because of the governor’s $3.5-billion Rebuilding Michigan Plan and funding secured by Upton in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“Connecting US-31 to I-94 will save drivers time, keep them safer on the road, and lower their costs,” Whitmer said. “After decades of delay, we are getting this critical Southwest Michigan project done without raising taxes because of Congressman Upton’s efforts to pass the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and my $3.5-billion Rebuilding Michigan Plan, which focuses on fixing economically critical state roads and bridges. Since I took office through the end of this year, Michigan will have fixed 16,000 lane miles of road and 1,200 bridges, supporting 89,000 jobs. I will work with anyone to keep fixing the damn roads because it makes a real difference in people’s lives by saving them time, keeping them safe, and lowering their costs.”

“I want to thank the community members who have been more than patient as MDOT officials battled so many obstacles to fund and complete this vital corridor,” said Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Director Paul C. Ajegba. “I also want to acknowledge the generations of MDOT staff members who worked steadfastly to make today a reality. I appreciate their diligence, and I also want to recognize Gov. Whitmer for her vision with the Rebuilding Michigan plan, which helped get this project over the finish line.”

The new, direct connection between US-31 and I-94 will save drivers three minutes per trip by reducing time-consuming merges and resulting traffic. More than 17,000 drivers get from US-31 to I-94 every day, and three minutes per trip adds up to over 35 days' worth of time saved every single day.

This project will help reduce the risk of crashes. Due to this project, drivers will no longer have to navigate interchanges with local roads. Instead, they can stay on the freeway to reach their destination.

Finally, the project will lower costs. All the slowing down, stopping, turning, and accelerating resulting from exiting and merging onto this freeway uses an estimated 125,000 gallons of gas a year. That is worth roughly $470,000 based on recent gas prices.