MDOT outlines I‑75 corridor plan, highlights congestion hotspots and pedestrian safety needs

The Michigan Department of Transportation presented the I‑75 Corridor Plan, a study of future needs on I‑75 between Square Lake Road and the US‑23 merge covering parts of Oakland, Genesee and Livingston counties. The presentation summarized data, public input and candidate locations for improvements across active transportation, interchanges, intersections and network corridors.

MDOT said the study area runs from the Square Lake Road interchange in Bloomfield Township to the I‑75/US‑23 merge in Mundy Township and includes the I‑75 Business Loop in Pontiac. The team compiled plans and studies from more than 20 agencies, reviewed planned roadway improvements expected through 2026 and coordinated with regional partners, including the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and the Genesee County Metropolitan Planning Commission.

Using peak‑period travel demand modeling (2025 volumes), MDOT reported that most of the corridor currently has sufficient capacity but that congestion is concentrated at the southern end of the study area and near the I‑75/US‑23 merge by Flint. "There were nearly 50 vehicular crashes with a pedestrian or bicycle," the presenter said, citing the compiled crash history used in the existing‑conditions report. The presentation stressed travel time reliability measures — the travel time index for normal peak periods and the planning time index for non‑typical events such as crashes or severe weather — as key performance metrics.

MDOT described an online public survey launched in June 2024 that was open for three months; "There were more than 1,700 visits to the site and 124 comments were provided," the presenter said. The comments were grouped into six topics, and the presenter noted that "85% of the comments received fell under the traffic congestion or safety topics," indicating those issues were the community's primary concerns.

The study identified candidate locations and grouped potential solutions into four categories: active transportation (adding sidewalks, shoulders and bike facilities), freeway interchange improvements, intersection operational fixes and network‑level projects such as roadway widening where appropriate. Examples cited included:

- Active transportation: Fenton Road in Grand Blanc Township lacks shoulders, sidewalks and bike lanes and is listed as a future non‑motorized connection in Genesee County's priorities. - Interchange: The I‑75/M‑59 interchange in Auburn Hills was described as a high‑volume cloverleaf that warrants further study to identify improvements. - Intersection: Heavy congestion at Square Lake Road and Woodward Avenue could be reduced by signalization and traffic‑flow changes. - Network: M‑15 from I‑75 north to Ortonville faces growing congestion tied to population shifts; MDOT said widening may be necessary long‑term but that such projects are expensive and could be paired with shorter‑term measures like adding left‑turn or passing lanes on local roads such as Grange Hall Road.

The presenter said each potential solution underwent a high‑level analysis considering safety, operations and maintenance costs and directed viewers to the final report on the project web page for full location lists and technical details. For further information, viewers were told to consult the project web page linked in the video description or contact staff listed on the screen. The presentation concluded with a call for continued input to help improve the I‑75 corridor.