Reconstruction of the Lee Road roundabout in Green Oak Township will be starting up soon.

Livingston County Road Commission Managing Director Mike Craine says the long awaited and dreaded reconstruction project will technically will begin just before 4th of July, around June 25th, with a relatively benign phase. He says work will be done on the north leg of Whitmore Lake Road and when everything is done, there will be fewer lanes coming into that traffic circle, as they’re going to eliminate one. Everything that was built as part of the original roundabout project will be completely resurfaced.

Craine tells WHMI the overall goal of the project, in addition to restoring pavement integrity, is to correct a crash pattern that developed in only the westerly or the Whitmore Lake circle in which people are turning the wrong way from the wrong lane. Craine says they’ll eliminate the middle lane at the Whitmore Lake Road roundabout so there will just be two circulating lanes in the roundabouts. Initial work involves pulling out curbing on north side of Whitmore Lake Road, putting in new curbing and then shutting down for the long holiday weekend while the concrete cures. Craine says there’s a lot of work, with most being done at night. He says during the 14-day period after the 4th of July when the roundabout at Whitmore Lake Road will be closed, detours will either be the freeway itself or Old US-23 up to Grand River and down to Rickett Road.

Craine says because of the amount of traffic in the area, the project has to be done in careful stages and the real action will start after the 4th of July. Since most of the work will be done at night, it will not affect any access to Green Oak Village Place Mall. Craine says people can continue to use the freeway to access the mall, except during evening hours when crews are working there. He says it will be a little tougher on the Costco side, because traffic has to be shifted over to Rickett and Maltby Roads to get back in to the mall.

Information detailing the Lee Road reconstruction project and detours are available on the Road Commission website. Those impacted are also able to sign up for email updates as the project progresses. That link is provided. (JM)