Southfield Road I-696 ramp closes Friday as Woodward ramp reopens

Farmington Hills commuters who use the Southfield Road on-ramp to reach westbound I-696 will lose that access starting Friday, July 31, at 9 a.m.

The closure is part of MDOT's Restore the Reuther project, a multi-year rebuild of I-696 across Oakland County. In exchange, the M-1/Woodward Avenue on-ramp to westbound I-696 reopens Thursday, July 30, at 5 p.m., according to WXYZ, which reported the changes Tuesday, July 28, citing MDOT Metro Region media representative Diane Cross.

Two more ramp changes follow in early August. The westbound I-696 off-ramp to Woodward Avenue reopens Thursday, August 6, at 9 a.m., while the westbound I-696 off-ramp to Southfield Road closes Friday, August 7, at 9 a.m.

What's open, what's not

Westbound I-696 lanes remain open through the construction zone, with traffic shifted onto the rebuilt eastbound pavement. Only a limited number of entrance and exit ramps are available at any given time as MDOT rotates access points.

Eastbound I-696 from Lahser Road to I-75 has been fully closed since the rebuild began. MDOT told WXYZ that eastbound lanes and all ramps along the construction zone are expected to reopen before the end of 2026.

The Driving Oakland project tracker, updated Wednesday, July 22, confirmed the Woodward ramps had been closed for approximately two months before the announced reopening. The tracker also shows the westbound I-696 ramp to Lahser Road, US-24 and M-10 was reopened as of July 2.

Overlaps with three local road projects

The ramp swap lands during a stretch when three separate Road Commission for Oakland County projects are already squeezing Farmington Hills traffic. As we reported July 25, those include:

12 Mile Road (Orchard Lake Road to Autumn Ridge Road): resurfacing, one lane each direction, expected completion early September. The $3.3 million project covers a corridor carrying about 26,000 vehicles daily.
10 Mile Road (Middlebelt Road to Inkster Road): full closure for culvert replacement since Wednesday, July 15, with completion expected in October. The $1.38 million project affects about 10,500 vehicles daily.
Inkster Road (just north of 14 Mile Road): closed since Monday, July 6, for culvert work. That stretch is scheduled to reopen Friday, July 31, the same day the Southfield Road I-696 ramp shuts down.

The timing is notable. Drivers who relied on Inkster Road as an alternate route may regain that corridor just as their freeway on-ramp disappears.