MDOT design staff told the Brighton City Council that the I‑96 interchange at Grand River will be rebuilt during the upcoming construction season, requiring staged detours and a short period of full closure aimed at completing the most disruptive work while schools are out.

The project will remove the existing bridge, raise the new structure about "2 and a half feet" and rebuild approaches, Jack Rick, MDOT design project manager, told the council. He said the state has a contractor under contract—Dan's Excavating with CA Hull for bridge work—and that the work will continue through the construction season.

The plans call for two primary detours. In early stages MDOT will close the westbound loop on‑ramp and reroute traffic to the Spencer Road off‑ramp and back to westbound I‑96. A second detour runs from Hilton Road north to Old US‑23 and back to Grand River or to Spencer Road. For the most disruptive phase, MDOT has required the contractor to perform a full detour of Grand River for a limited, 50‑calendar‑day window during summer months so crews can reconstruct the intersection and related roadway work without live traffic, Rick said. "We've given the contractor a window between, basically, when the school is out ... for 50 days," he said.

MDOT and its construction manager, Jeff Bigelow of Great Lakes Engineering, described the night work and short closures that will precede the summer full detour. Bigelow said the contractor is "intending to start that 1st week in March, weather permitting," and that beam removals will require two to three night closures when traffic is pushed onto the east side of the freeway. During the summer closure, MDOT staff said at least one ramp into the city will be maintained to ensure emergency access and that they have required the contractor to keep emergency services connected.

City and county officials pressed MDOT on traffic management and communications. MDOT said it will install temporary signals and message boards, coordinate signal timing with the county and city, and post detour maps and slides on a project web page; staff also said they will maintain a project Facebook page called the "I‑96 Brighton project page." George Seath from the Brighton Transportation Service Center said the agency will push traffic advisories to the media and the city's communications platforms; MDOT staff also pointed to the state's MyDrive traffic site as a real‑time resource.

Officials repeatedly cautioned that some details are weather‑dependent and that utility relocations by DTE and other private utilities remain on the critical path. MDOT staff said utility work will require at least one week with single‑lane closures on Grand River, and that the contractor will wait for utility relocations before fully mobilizing major bridge work.

Council members and residents asked about impacts to Hilton Elementary School and first responders; MDOT said it will hold an emergency‑responder meeting to coordinate access and will work with Trinity Health, Livingston County EMS and local fire authorities to preserve emergency response routes during closures.

Why it matters: The I‑96/Grand River interchange is a major entry to Brighton. MDOT emphasized the short‑term traffic pain for a long‑term gain—wider bridge opening, improved approaches and safety benefits—and told the council it will expand public notices and use message boards, social media and the city app to reach motorists.

MDOT said detailed staging maps, timelines and slides are posted on the project's web page and that staff will provide updated schedule windows once the contractor finalizes its sequencing. "We will be able to tighten this up and give you a better idea," Jeff Bigelow said; but both he and Rick underscored the need for flexibility since underground utility work and weather can alter schedules.