Most ramps serving westbound I-696 are scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 12, after a weekend closure affecting Farmington Hills and Farmington residents who travel the corridor, according to FOX 2 Detroit.
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will first shut down westbound I-696 from I-75 to M-10 from 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 12, FOX 2 reported. The 56-hour closure will allow crews to shift westbound traffic back onto the newly reconstructed pavement. All entrance and exit ramps in that stretch will also close during the work.
Once that work wraps, the reported reopening list includes access at I-75, Coolidge, Greenfield, Southfield, Evergreen, Lahser and US-24/Telegraph. The Campbell/Hilton entrance ramps and Bermuda/Mohawk exit ramp also reopen.
The M-1/Woodward on-ramp will open, but the Woodward off-ramp is scheduled to remain closed until Saturday, Oct. 17, while crews finish resurfacing the westbound 10 Mile Service Drive, according to WHMI.
The reopenings are a milestone in the $280 million Restore the Reuther project, as WXYZ reported in August. The multi-year rebuild includes eight miles of new concrete pavement from Lahser to I-75, improvements to 60 bridges and replacement of 1,100 drainage structures, according to MDOT project documents.
The project has disrupted nearby businesses. "It hurt everything. People going to work, businesses around this area, everything was hurt," Jack Zaya, owner of 696 Master Collision in Madison Heights, told WXYZ on Aug. 31, when the westbound I-696 exits to I-75 reopened as part of the same project.
What's still closed
Eastbound I-696 between M-10 and I-75 remains shut down. Crossover work still needs to be completed and is expected to wrap by the end of 2026, FOX 2 reported.
The eastbound detour routes drivers south on M-10 to eastbound M-8/Davison to northbound I-75, according to Driving Oakland’s project updates.
During the weekend closure Oct. 9–12, the westbound detour is westbound I-696 to southbound I-75 to westbound M-8/Davison to northbound M-10/Lodge, WHMI reported.
Construction between I-75 and Dequindre Road is planned for 2027, though WHMI reported the freeway will stay open during that work. Project updates are available at DrivingOakland.com.
