Eastbound 96 Should Open By End of the Week if the Weather Cooperates
This is good news, especially if you've kind of given up on EB-96 ever reopening. I know, it's only been a few months, but ohmygosh it's so annoying. If the weather cooperates, Eb-96 at Leonard should be reopened by Friday.
Here's the deal though, before it can be reopened, there will be even more detours, this time along 196 both east and westbound between Fuller Ave and I-96. MDOT's MiDrive website says that from midnight Thursday morning through Saturday at noon they will completely close both the highway from Fuller to 96. During that time the detour is to take 131 to M6 then back to 96 or vice versa if coming the other way.
But MDOT says they will start with opening one lane along EB-96 at the same time they shut down the stretch of I196. By Thursday night or Friday morning they plan to have all the lanes open along eastbound I-96, according to our buddy Traffic Tom at WOOD-TV.
MDOT plans to have the ramp from Leonard to 96 open by Thursday night, with the ramp from the Beltline to eastbound 96 open Saturday. They are still working on the bridge from 96 eastbound to Beltline, which won't be completed until Summer 2020 according to MDOT plans. Drivers won't be able to exit 96 eastbound to the Beltline until construction wraps in the summer, so just remember you have to get off on Leonard or Fuller during that time.