Beginning in spring of 2022, MDOT plans to improve a 12-mile segment of I-96
between the I-275 interchange in Novi and Kent Lake Road near Milford. I-96
carries 163,000 vehicles a day between Detroit and Lansing and has no comparable alternate routes.
I-96 experiences heavy congestion going toward Detroit in the morning rush hour and away from
Detroit in the evening rush hour. This causes inconsistent travel times and frequent crashes.
With the existing pavement aging and near the end of its designed service life, roadway
rebuilding with improvements focused on traffic safety and reduced congestion is needed.
After studying the congestion problem and the high frequency of crashes, a number of
other aspects were considered, including the need to minimize environmental impacts and the
exorbitant cost of adding a full-time fourth lane in both directions. The best option is a
flexible shoulder lane and ramp meters, which will be used only during the heaviest traffic times.
The limits of the flex lane are illustrated on the map, along with the proposed locations for the key
elements of the proposed active traffic management system. The existing wide, paved median shoulders
will be used for the flexible lanes. Adaptive ramp metering will be installed at select entrance
ramps in the corridor to harmonize traffic flow, which increases capacity. If you’re interested in
learning more, MDOT has developed an educational video describing ramp metering in more detail.
The part-time flex lane along I-96 would have lane control signs identifying which lanes to drive in,
electronic message boards conveying openings and closures, vehicle detection sensors to monitor the
traffic patterns, and freeway cameras to monitor and control the use of the median shoulders during
peak congestion. The use of this system would be applied to several different traffic scenarios
as depicted in the following operational examples. During off-peak, free-flow conditions,
the I-96 facilities will operate in its existing six-lane freeway configuration.
The flex lane will be closed and will be indicated by a red “X” over the word “CLOSED” displayed on
the lane control sign above the flex lane. The lane control signs over the general-purpose
lanes will be blank, indicating that they are open and operating near posted speeds.
Small message boards on every other gantry will be used to supplement the lane control sign.
During peak-period, free-flow conditions, the flex lane will be open to traffic along I-96
to accommodate the increase in traffic volume. The lane control sign will show a green arrow
over the flex lane. The small message boards will be used to supplement the lane control sign
by displaying a message indicating that the flex lane is open to traffic.
If travel speeds drop below normal, the variable speed advisory system will alert an operator to
initiate recommended variable speed advisory messages, based on the current conditions.
The lane control sign will display a recommended speed over all of the lanes, including the flex
lane, supplemented by an appropriate message posted on the message boards. If an incident
occurs in either of the two rightmost lanes when the flex lane is open, a flex lane response plan
can be initiated to advise traffic to slow to the advisory speed posted above all lanes. The
gantries following the crash will direct traffic away from the right lane with a yellow merge
symbol followed by a red “CLOSED” message at the lanes immediately ahead of the incident.
If the same incident occurs when the flex lane is closed, the flex lane can be opened to traffic in advance of the incident
to ease congestion and minimize the chance of secondary crashes.
If an incident is blocking an inside lane, the nearest outside lane will be closed along with the lane
that the incident occurred in. Traffic should not be split to run around both sides of an incident.
This will help protect emergency responders and allow them more room to safely clear the incident.
Prior to the scheduled opening of the flex lane, freeway courtesy patrol will drive the length of
the flex lane corridor to determine if the lane is clear of debris and/or any stopped or stalled
vehicles. At the same time, SEMTOC operators will inspect the flex lane via freeway camera. If no
obstructions are found, the SEMTOC operator will open the flex lane. If an obstruction is found,
the lane will be cleared before opening. As part of the project, MDOT will be building seven crash
investigation sites along the outside shoulders of I-96. These sites will be lighted and are being
installed to facilitate incident management, particularly when the median flex lane is
open. MDOT is planning to build the project in several stages beginning in the spring 2022,
with the flex lane open for use at the end of 2024. The Michigan Department of Transportation
thanks project stakeholders for their valuable input during the project development process
and will continue to coordinate with local agencies and businesses throughout construction.
For the latest project information, and to provide your input, please use these resources.