U.S. 23 to See New Lane Closures Starting This Weekend

Expect to see more orange barrels on U.S. 23 soon — this time between Interstate 96 and Silver Lake Road, as the Michigan Department of Transportation has announced upcoming intermittent closures in the area planned for this weekend, next week and the following weekend.

Movement in both directions on the highway will close between 6-6:15 a.m. Sunday in an area just north of Silver Lake Road in Green Oak Township, according to an email announcement from MDOT. The closure is because crews need to string fiber-optic cables to DTE energy poles on lines that cross the highway, the announcement said.

There also will be single-lane closures starting Wednesday on southbound U.S. 23 between I-96 and Silver Lake Road, near Brighton, for concrete pavement repairs, MDOT said. Originally, the work was planned for 2012 but was moved up because of current road condition, MDOT said, adding that the change will allow the agency to save on additional maintenance costs from emergency repairs.

The schedule includes a planned single-lane closure overnight Wednesday and Thursday between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. the following morning, according to MDOT. Then, starting at 10 a.m. Friday, the right lane of southbound U.S. 23 will be closed for repairs until the afternoon of May 8, the announcement said.

For northbound U.S. 23, the right lane will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. May 9, MDOT said.

Following next week's work, crews will need one additional weekend to complete the patch work, MDOT said. Pavement repairs will take place in the median lanes the following weekend, weather permitting, the announcement said.

MDOT is asking motorists to expect slowdowns and to drive carefully in these areas. The latest closure announcement comes as ongoing construction projects also are forcing single-lane closures in both directions on U.S. 23 north of I-96 near Hyne Road.