The feeling of spring in the air means another season is also upon us: road construction season. For residents, the most impactful project this year will be the $32.5 million rebuild of 7.8 miles of US-31 near Interlochen – with tree-clearing and preparation work starting March 23 ahead of a planned mid-April construction launch. The Ticker has the latest details on that and other upcoming projects, including the Beitner and Ramsay Road bridges, Franke Road, Hammond Road, Cass Road, and more.

US-31
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will host a public open house March 24 from 4pm to 6pm at Golden Fellowship Hall in Interlochen about this year’s US-31 rebuild.

The state is rebuilding nearly eight miles of highway from Sullivan Road in Green Lake Township to Reynolds Road in Inland Township. Work will include road widening to add center left-turn lanes, broader paved shoulders, and rumble strips. The South Long Lake Road/J. Maddy Parkway intersection will be rebuilt as a roundabout.

Tree-clearing and preparation work will start March 23. Road construction is scheduled to begin April 15 but could launch sooner if weather allows. Work will go until November. On Monday, the state released detour maps (pictured) and a tentative construction timeline as follows:

April-June: “The north side of US-31 will be rebuilt between Sullivan Road and west of J. Maddy Parkway/S. Long Lake Road, including building a roundabout,” according to MDOT. “Southbound US-31 traffic will be maintained on US-31, while northbound US-31 traffic will be detoured on Gonder Road, Riley Road, J. Maddy Parkway, Youker Road, and County Road 633.”

Maddy Parkway access to US-31 will be “maintained for most of this phase of construction, though it will be closed for up to two weeks at the start of work while crews build temporary lanes around the roundabout,” MDOT says. “South Long Lake Road access to US-31 will be closed, with traffic detoured on West Silver Lake Road and Secor Road.”

June-July: The south side of US-31 will be rebuilt between Sullivan Road and west of J. Maddy Parkway/S. Long Lake Road, including building the roundabout. “Southbound US-31 traffic will be maintained on US-31, while northbound US-31 traffic will be detoured on Gonder Road, Riley Road, J. Maddy Parkway, Youker Road, and County Road 633,” MDOT says. “Maddy Parkway access to US-31 will be closed for most of this phase of construction. South Long Lake Road access to US-31 will be open to southbound US-31 traffic only, with other traffic detouring on West Silver Lake Road and Secor Road.”

July-November: This phase entails “rebuilding US-31 from west of the South Long Lake Road/J. Maddy Parkway roundabout to Reynolds Road,” according to MDOT. “Southbound US-31 traffic will be maintained on US-31, while northbound US-31 traffic will be detoured on Reynolds Road, Cinder Road, Diamond Park Road, Gonder Road, Riley Road, and J. Maddy Parkway.”

Temporary signals have been added to several intersections to assist with detour traffic (pictured on maps). Grand Traverse County commissioners said last week they were hopeful two of those lights – at Secor/Silver Lake and Youker/Hamlin/633 – could become permanent. Grand Traverse County Road Commission (GTCRC) Manager Dan Watkins said that was a possible future discussion. Businesses in Interlochen have been bracing for the US-31 work, launching social media campaigns encouraging folks to “shop local” and keep patronizing stores during construction.

Also on US-31, MDOT has just approved driveways and a traffic signal for the new Meijer store going in at Chums Corner by Menards, MDOT North Region Communications Specialist James Lake confirms to The Ticker. “The main driveway on the east end of the property will have a full traffic signal and a signalized pedestrian crosswalk with ADA-compliant ramps on the east leg and south leg of the intersection, though there are not currently sidewalks connecting to that location,” Lake says.

That driveway will line up “directly across from Michigan Trailers on the north side of US-31,” Lake says. “A second driveway on the west end of the property will be right-in, right-out only. There will be a new right-turn lane on the south side of US-31 for eastbound traffic turning into the new driveways.” Meijer Communications Manager Erin Cataldo confirms the store has broken ground, though says it’s “too early in the process” to share details on the construction timeline.

Other projects on deck…
The road commission is planning $17.5 million in 2026 projects, Watkins told county commissioners last week. The list includes work on the Ramsay Road bridge, a partnership project with the Conservation Resource Alliance. GTCRC is also in deep discussions with the state about the timing and logistics of a Beitner Road bridge replacement. GTCRC is pushing to have that project done over the winter starting late this year, as the state originally wanted to do it over the summer – shutting the corridor down for almost nine months. Watkins said GTCRC stressed how “that’s not great for our community” given the high traffic counts and river usage at the Beitner bridge.

County Administrator Nate Alger said the county is in talks with the city about future river access at Beitner, as the state will no longer allow a park entrance to be located on the north side of the bridge. The entities are looking at providing a different access point for kayakers off the north side of River Road between River and Beitner, where the city owns land and could provide an easement. A private property easement is another option. If one of those doesn’t work, “there’s likely not going to be a launch at that location,” Alger warned.

In addition to numerous chip seal, signal optimization, and partner road projects, several major hot mixed asphalt projects are on deck this year that will affect traffic in key corridors. Those include Cass Road from South Airport Road to the Robbins Bridge, Hammond Road from Townline to Four Mile, and Cedar Run Road from Cedarcrest Drive to Cedar Valley Road.

Franke Road from US-31 to Silver Lake Road is another long-awaited project finally ready to move forward. Watkins said a design is expected to be finalized later this month and then put out to bid, with renderings to be published on GTCRC’s website. The road has been “quite complicated” to design to balance traffic-calming measures like islands with lane configurations that accommodate everything from Montessori school traffic to Meijer semi trucks to residential access, Watkins said.

Going forward, GTCRC is working on a multi-year plan for road projects and has also unveiled a new map on its website showing traffic counts for area roads, which will help guide prioritization for repairs along with road condition ratings, according to Watkins.