U.S. Route 131 runs from near the top of Michigan's Lower Peninsula and terminates just over the Indiana border. Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan, are some major cities that the nearly 270-mile-long highway traverses. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and their partner, general contractor Michigan Paving & Materials Company, are in the middle of a project on U.S. 131.
The project is in southern Kent County in Byron Township, which is between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. The U.S. 131 Rebuilding - Kent County project will improve the safety and ride quality of the route in the area.
The 4-mile-long project area has an average daily traffic above 60,000. Because the project area connects the second biggest city in the state (Grand Rapids) with another major city, it is considered a vital traffic route. Commuters, commercial traffic, and tourists use it.
U.S. 131 is a four-lane divided highway in the project area. Current road conditions are substandard.
"The pavement's deteriorated condition was one of the main factors for rebuilding this stretch of U.S. 131," said John Richard, the Grand Region Media Representative for MDOT.
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Another issue driving the project is safety. The number of crashes is elevated in the area. This is due to issues related to merging onto U.S. 131 between the 76th Street and 84th Street interchanges.
"We're adding interchange connection lanes that join the 84th Street and 76th Street interchanges," Richard said. “This will improve safety and operations."
The team is extending the 76th Street on-ramp to the 84th Street off-ramp on southbound U.S. 131 and the 84th Street on-ramp to the 76th Street off-ramp on northbound U.S. 131.
The auxiliary lanes run for 1 mile and are expected to simplify the merge vehicles make onto the highly trafficked U.S. 131. The more straightforward merge and coordinating reduction in weaving should reduce the crash count.
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In addition to impacting traffic and safety, the project is expected to add jobs. An MDOT press release says that "based on economic modeling, this investment is expected to directly and indirectly support 994 jobs.”
When construction work takes place on a major road like U.S. 131, time is of the essence. While construction teams are doing the work, commuters may be inconvenienced.
MDOT and other project partners are aware of the inconvenience to drivers and their desire for the team to complete the job quickly. It drives them to find ways to do jobs as quickly as possible and reduce inconvenience in any way they can.
"We strive to minimize motorist disruptions while construction occurs," Richard said. "It's a delicate balance on all jobs — including this one — of balancing safety for the team and minimizing lane closures."
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An added challenge to the U.S. 131 project is the limited workspace.
“With northbound traffic crossed over to the southbound side, we are able to maintain two lanes for each direction,” Richard added.
MDOT's top priority is providing a safe work area for the construction team.
"With such high volumes of traffic traveling at highway speeds, ensuring a safe work zone is a challenging priority," Richard said. “Driver responsibility is crucial. Everything we design and build, including work zones, is under the expectation that motorists are paying attention and following the rules of the road.”
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To address this safety challenge, MDOT and Michigan Paving are applying multiple fixes. These include:
- Reducing the speed limit from 70 mph to 45 mph
- Implementing lane closures, ramp closures, and short-term detours
"The detours are as short as possible, in both duration and distance," Richard said. "We aim to minimize the inconvenience for motorists."
Due to earlier projects in the area, the team knew creating a safe work zone would be challenging.
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"Traffic control measures for the work zone were put in place last year in preparation for the bulk of construction this year," Richard said. “That prep work allows us to keep four lanes open for the majority of this season.”
Scheduling or staging is another key element in keeping traffic flowing. The general contractor staged the project to construct the median of U.S. 131 and temporary paving in 2024.
"The staging created challenges in constructing the large culverts in the median, which will be connected across the driving lanes in 2025," Richard said.
Working in the median enhanced the safety of the team. However, the median's space is limited, creating access challenges. Getting materials to the area and storing them has required the team to find creative solutions.
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In January 2020, the State Transportation Commission approved Governor Gretchen Whitmer's Rebuilding Michigan Program. According to MDOT’s website, the program involved selling "$3.5 billion in bonds to finance new and modified road construction projects across the state between 2020 and 2024, while accelerating many others."
The program covers "rebuilding state highways and bridges that are critical to the state's economy and carry the most traffic." The investment strategy focuses on improvements that extend the lifespan and enhance the condition of Michigan’s infrastructure.
According to the program portal, at the time of writing this article, the Rebuilding Michigan Program has created 45,147 jobs. Over 5,000 (5,639) workers have been employed on the projects, and they have worked 2.76 million hours.
The U.S. 131 project is a beneficiary of the Rebuilding Michigan Program. The construction budget for the project is $70 million. Rebuilding Michigan funds provided the majority of the funding. The remainder of the funding is from the federal government.
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Richard said the project is on budget and on schedule. The project began in May 2024. The two-year project is expected to be finished in November 2025.
One of the key reasons that the project is both on budget and on schedule is the general contractor. Michigan Paving and Materials has partnered with MDOT many times.
"They've been a great partner over the years on many major reconstruction projects," Richard said.
The contractor has been around for over 50 years. According to the Michigan Paving website, they “operate over 25 asphalt plants and aggregate and materials locations, including the largest liquid asphalt terminal in Michigan." They are also the largest supplier of asphalt aggregates and liquid asphalt cement in the U.S.
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Kamminga & Roodvoets, Inc. has been a key subcontractor for the project. The Tampa, Florida-based company has an office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and knows the area well. Kamminga & Roodvoets provides road building, site preparation, and underground utility construction services.
"Michigan Paving has put together a great team for this project," Richard said. "The team has worked well with MDOT and is well on its way to making this a successful project."
When the team completes the U.S. 131 Rebuilding - Kent County project in fall 2025, the key route will be greatly upgraded. The project will improve the ride and extend the service life of U.S. 131. MDOT will be less burdened to maintain the road. Adding weave/merge lanes connecting the interchanges will increase safety and improve operations.
- Owner: Michigan Department of Transportation; Project Engineers, Addison Bailey and David Kent
- General Contractor: Michigan Paving and Materials Company, Canton, Michigan
- Designer: Michael Baker International, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Other Contractors: Kamminga & Roodvoets, Inc., Tampa, Florida
