Running over 1,400 miles from Florida to the northernmost point in Michigan, U.S. 23 is the only major north-south route in Livingston County, which is approximately 50 miles northwest of Detroit, Michigan. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and general contractor Dan's Excavating, Inc. (DEI) are currently working on a project in the area, U.S. 23 Flex Route Phase 2.
A Flex Route is a lane control system that uses overhead signs, cameras, and electronic message boards to inform drivers when an additional lane is available and unavailable. The system will efficiently manage peak-hour traffic by opening and closing the median shoulder to traffic. With advance notice of delays and incidents ahead, it is expected to enhance safety.
In 2017, MDOT wrapped up a project that built the first Flex Route on U.S. 23. It spanned 7.5 miles and involved installing an active traffic management lane with other safety improvements, as well as operational improvements.
An MDOT-commissioned study of the project found that "overall, crashes were reduced by roughly 17 percent across the entire corridor in both directions. The improvements were significantly more pronounced in the [southbound] direction, where crashes were reduced by 34 percent overall and more than 50 percent during the peak traffic periods."
The current project is building off the success of the first phase and is extending the Flex Lane 7.5 miles to I-96. It will transition into an exit-only lane to westbound I-96. The east-west highway spans Michigan's lower peninsula.
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The Flex Lane is an upgraded shoulder that aims to accommodate peak-hour, higher traffic volumes, and incident management, according to MDOT’s website. Instead of building a new lane in each direction, the Flex Lane is a cost-saving measure that the website said "was vetted and approved by the Federal Highway Administration and multiple coordinating agencies."
MDOT’s website added that the “current operation is opening the southbound Flex Lane during the morning peak hours and opening the northbound Flex Lane during afternoon peak hours of traffic." This fix is sufficient since the roadway experiences congestion depending on the time of day.
The project includes additional elements beyond lengthening the Flex Lane. These include:
- Improvements to the Lee Road interchange.
- Repairs to the Grand River bridge and Spencer Road bridge.
- Repairs on the Silver Lake Road interchange, rebuilding and bridge widening. The existing interchange is a tight diamond configuration with closely spaced intersections. The interchange will be rebuilt with two new roundabouts, which are expected to improve traffic flow and increase safety.
- Widening of the Huron River bridge.
- Temporary widening of M-36.
- M-36 interchange reconfiguration and bridge rebuilding. It is currently a partial cloverleaf configuration with loops and directional ramps. After being rebuilt, it will have a series of three roundabouts.
- Installation of a noise wall in the northwest quadrant of the U.S. 23/I-96 interchange.
- A split merge was created where one lane of northbound U.S. 23 traffic is moved to the southbound roadbed between M-36 and Lee Road so that two lanes of traffic can be maintained in both directions while construction occurs.
- Two crossovers were built on the north end of the project (north of I-96) to allow northbound and southbound traffic to be shifted onto the opposite-bound roadbed to enable the reconstruction work under Spencer Road to be completed without reducing the capacity of U.S. 23.
- First responder access was created throughout the corridor to allow emergency services to move throughout the area with minimal delay.
- Owner: Michigan Department of Transportation
- General Contractor: Dan's Excavating, Inc., Shelby Township, Michigan
- Designer: HNTB, Kansas City, Missouri
- Engineer: ROWE Professional Services Company, Mundy Township, Michigan
- Other Key Contractors: CA Hull, Commerce Township, Michigan; Ajax Paving, Troy, Michigan
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As the area's only major north-south route, U.S. 23 experiences significant traffic. South of I-96 on U.S. 23, the average daily traffic count is 76,715.
Only two existing lanes are in each direction to accommodate the heavy traffic volumes. The shoulders and medians are also narrow. The conditions have been a significant challenge for the team.
"Given the limited workspace and the need to keep two lanes of traffic open as much as possible, the engineering teams involved with the project have had to develop creative solutions so that the contractor has room to work safely while also moving motorists through the corridor with minimal delays," said Stephanie Palmer, an MDOT Traffic & Safety/Operations Engineer.
Palmer cites examples of the creative solutions that the team has employed:
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Dan's Excavating, Inc. has a history with MDOT. They are currently serving as the general contractor on several other large freeway projects in the state, such as the I-96 Flex Route, the I-696 Reconstruction project, and the I-275 Reconstruction project, according to Aaron Jenkins, an MDOT Communications Representative.
DEI, which has been around since 1974, is one of the largest contractors in the state. The company is very familiar with the current project since they are headquartered in Shelby Township, which is about an hour from the work zone. They also served as the general contractor on the first phase of the project.
Jenkins and MDOT appreciate DEI's experience, substantial workforce, and equipment arsenal to get projects done.
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The project budget is $188.6 million. This includes $23.2 million for construction engineering. "MDOT is funding the project using a combination of Rebuilding Michigan Bond funds, State Road and Bridge Rehabilitation funds, and federal participation," Jenkins said.
The Rebuilding Michigan Program from Governor Gretchen Whitmer gained approval in 2020. According to MDOT’s website, the program aims to rebuild “state highways and bridges that are critical to the state's economy and carry the most traffic." The $3.5 billion plan was to be spent on projects between 2020 and 2024. Furthermore, Rebuilding Michigan aimed to allow "MDOT to address key corridors and rebuild major segments of highly travelled interstates." U.S. 23 falls under this category.
Federal participation covers approximately 27 percent of the construction costs, with the remainder covered by state funds. At the time of writing this article, $104.8 million has been spent, and the project is currently on budget.
"Maintaining the budget can be attributed to a quality-focused contractor and strict oversight by MDOT engineers, MDOT technicians, and consultant partners," Jenkins said.
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Major construction on this project is scheduled over three construction seasons, with 2023 being the first season. Winter shutdowns occur between each season and will vary in length based on weather conditions. Although some interim staging dates have changed due to weather and unforeseen field conditions, the project is currently scheduled to complete all major construction by the fall of 2025.
The project is also scheduled to have all construction items finished by the final completion date of September 19, 2027. Between the completion of major construction and September 2027, the team will work on various miscellaneous punch list items such as permanent pavement markings, tree plantings, and tree watering. During the fall of 2025, intelligent transportation system (ITS) devices will be installed, and the team will do an approximately three-month testing period. Jenkins anticipates that the ITS will be operational by the spring of 2026.
Jenkins said that when the project is complete, “it will resolve the operational and safety issues we are seeing at the current northbound Flex Lane drop that occurs after 8-Mile Road. Once this second phase of the Flex Route is complete, we expect that the public will experience both safety and operational benefits, like what we are seeing for existing Flex Route to the south of this project.”
