HAPPENING NOW: US-127 – I-496 Construction Shift

I know the construction is necessary, and I appreciate the fact that with the improvement of Michigan's existing infrastructure, there will be inconvenience. However, the Michigan Department of Transportation's (MDOT) US-127 - I-496 project has made north-to-south travel incredibly difficult within East Lansing and Lansing, making a crosstown trip a commuting nightmare. As of June 21, 2024, crews are working to make this shift. 

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As you can see below, US-127 North was completely shut down, so the existing road could be torn up and replaced. Trowbridge Road is getting a completely new and much-needed exit to help handle East Lansing's gameday traffic for Michigan State University. This massive undertaking's most glaring issue is that two high-traffic exits, the Trowbridge and the Jolly-Dunkel exits, have been and will remain closed to northbound traffic. The existing traffic pattern, which began in March 2024 (pictured below), and is in the process of shifting.

In the first stage, northbound traffic is shifted to the southbound lane of US-127 just south of the I-96 interchange. In this next stage, that crossover moves north (see below).

As you can see, the US-127 North crossover will now shift north of the I-96 interchange, just south of the Jolly-Dunkel exit. This will not offer either the Jolly-Dunkel or the Trowbridge commuters from the south easier access to their destinations, but it will open up travel to all I-96 traffic on and off of US-127.

If you are coming south into Michigan's Capitol, you may not yet understand the difficulty these closures present, but you will with MDOT's next phase, which is slated for March 2025 (see below).

As you can see, all of the inconveniences experienced by northbound drivers will be shifted, and those traveling south will feel the frustration.

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The silver lining? 2026 will be smooth sailing for all.