September 1, 2009 -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) today announced that crews have opened the I-69 reconstruction project in St. Clair County. Since late April, the freeway has been reduced to a single lane in each direction for six miles between Miller Road and the St. Clair/Lapeer county line.
Included in this $38 million investment was extensive repair to the Capac Rest Area, reconstruction of the freeway, rehabilitation of five bridges, and the installation of a weigh-in- motion station.
During reconstruction, two-way traffic was using one side of the freeway via traffic shifts in order to complete the work in one construction season. The traffic shifts have been removed with eastbound and westbound traffic now in their proper configuration. Until late September, crews will intermittently close a single lane in each direction to complete the job.
"We are very pleased to deliver this extensive project in a timely manner using an innovative funding process which helped expedite the work," said Larry Young, manager of MDOT's Port Huron Transportation Service Center. "Using the design/build/finance concept allowed us to reconstruct the freeway well ahead of our intended 2012 timeline."
The design/build/finance funding strategy allows pre-qualified contractors to bid on the project with limited design documents. The contractor then employs an engineering consulting firm to finish the design as the project progresses. The funding criteria specifies that the contractor, Interstate Highway Construction, Inc., fund the project with MDOT repaying the contractor in incremental installments through November 2011, a year before construction was originally planned.
For up-to-date information on this project, go to the list of statewide lane closures at: www.michigan.gov/drive. Follow MDOT at www.twitter.com/MichiganDOT or visit the "Michigan Department of Transportation" page on Facebook and become a fan.
MDOT: Working to improve our state roads and bridges.
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