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Westbound I-94 in Battle Creek should reopen soon
by Paula M. Davis / Kalamazoo Gazette Friday May 15, 2009, 9:59 PM
BATTLE CREEK -- Westbound Interstate 94 in Battle Creek is expected to reopen this weekend when crews will finish reinforcing a bridge earlier than anticipated, the Michigan Department of Transportation said.
The eastbound lanes are still expected to remain closed until early next week as crews shore up bridges because of structural problems related to a reconstruction project, officials said.
All lanes of I-94 in both directions between Capital Avenue and M-66 were closed early Thursday afternoon after soil and bridge foundations shifted beneath the two I-94 overpasses to Riverside Drive during work on the bridges.
The eastbound side has the more serious shift, Bobbi Welke, MDOT Southwest Region engineer, said Friday.
A larger number of springs are along Riverside Drive, and Welke said that wet soil "strongly contributed to different elements of the bridge" moving several inches.
There's no danger of collapse, she said, but engineers need to put special foundation support material in place to reinforce the structure.
"We're working on this," Welke said.
Eastbound traffic is being routed off the interstate at Capital Avenue (exit 97) onto Beckley Road to M-66/I-194 northbound and back to I-94 eastbound. Some traffic signals on Beckley have been turned off in order to allow for better traffic-flow, officials said.
Westbound traffic is being diverted off of I-94 at M-66/I-194 northbound (exit 98) to Columbia Avenue, then west on Columbia back to I-94 westbound.
The westbound route is a change from information provided earlier by MDOT that Beckley would be used for I-94 traffic in both directions.
Updates are available online at www.michigan.gov/mdot/ by clicking on "Current Lane Closures."
Michigan State Police troopers have been working overtime because of the I-94 closure and detours.
Through midday Friday no accidents associated with closure had been reported, but police had issued citations to motorists for disobeying directions, said Sgt. Brody Boucher, shift supervisor at the state police Battle Creek Post.
"We really would implore motorists to be as attentive as possible and follow the signals and directions given by law enforcement or traffic-control devices, for their safety as well as ours," he said.
"This was not a planned event and it is rapidly developing and may necessitate changes. ... We appreciate (motorists') patience," he said.
Traffic updates
The Michigan Department of Transportation provides road closure updates and maps online at www.michigan.gov/mdot click on "Current Lane Closures."
by Paula M. Davis / Kalamazoo Gazette Friday May 15, 2009, 9:59 PM
BATTLE CREEK -- Westbound Interstate 94 in Battle Creek is expected to reopen this weekend when crews will finish reinforcing a bridge earlier than anticipated, the Michigan Department of Transportation said.
The eastbound lanes are still expected to remain closed until early next week as crews shore up bridges because of structural problems related to a reconstruction project, officials said.
All lanes of I-94 in both directions between Capital Avenue and M-66 were closed early Thursday afternoon after soil and bridge foundations shifted beneath the two I-94 overpasses to Riverside Drive during work on the bridges.
The eastbound side has the more serious shift, Bobbi Welke, MDOT Southwest Region engineer, said Friday.
A larger number of springs are along Riverside Drive, and Welke said that wet soil "strongly contributed to different elements of the bridge" moving several inches.
There's no danger of collapse, she said, but engineers need to put special foundation support material in place to reinforce the structure.
"We're working on this," Welke said.
Eastbound traffic is being routed off the interstate at Capital Avenue (exit 97) onto Beckley Road to M-66/I-194 northbound and back to I-94 eastbound. Some traffic signals on Beckley have been turned off in order to allow for better traffic-flow, officials said.
Westbound traffic is being diverted off of I-94 at M-66/I-194 northbound (exit 98) to Columbia Avenue, then west on Columbia back to I-94 westbound.
The westbound route is a change from information provided earlier by MDOT that Beckley would be used for I-94 traffic in both directions.
Updates are available online at www.michigan.gov/mdot/ by clicking on "Current Lane Closures."
Michigan State Police troopers have been working overtime because of the I-94 closure and detours.
Through midday Friday no accidents associated with closure had been reported, but police had issued citations to motorists for disobeying directions, said Sgt. Brody Boucher, shift supervisor at the state police Battle Creek Post.
"We really would implore motorists to be as attentive as possible and follow the signals and directions given by law enforcement or traffic-control devices, for their safety as well as ours," he said.
"This was not a planned event and it is rapidly developing and may necessitate changes. ... We appreciate (motorists') patience," he said.
Traffic updates
The Michigan Department of Transportation provides road closure updates and maps online at www.michigan.gov/mdot click on "Current Lane Closures."