Related to the local widening of I-94 from 4 lanes to 6, MDOT has issued a drawing of the proposed reconstruction of the I-94 / Portage Street interchange. It will drastically change the flow of traffic at this junction, definitely for the better. They are basically going to "Westnedge-ify" this interchange, copying (more or less) what was done at the heavily trafficked Wesdnedge interchange, just one exit further west (Exit #76). Key to the alterations will be dedicated left turn lanes at traffic lights underneath the freeway overpass, thus eliminating some confusing Michigan lefts and complicated signage for getting traffic onto the freeway from Portage and Kilgore. The project will also entail the modification of Kilgore Road and Kilgore Service Road, including the removal of the stretch of Kilgore that currently connects from Portage to the Service Road. It all results in a more functional, more common, and more familiar setup.
This is an exciting, much-needed infrastructure upgrade for this growing area. The project is expected to start in the spring of 2021 and last until the fall of 2022. There's an open house on 8/21. It should be an easy one for MDOT to administer, at least in the sense that their regional office is immediately northwest of the project site, along Kilgore (also shown in the map below).
Quote:
2-year construction project at Portage Street and I-94 interchange to begin in 2021
Andrew Minegar | WWMT Newschannel 3
August 15, 2019
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A major construction project is planned for the Portage Street and Kilgore Road exit on and off Interstate 94, as well as the stretch of freeway from Lover's Lane to Sprinkle Road. The interchange would let traffic headed north and south on Portage Street to get on I-94 with a left turn at a traffic light under the freeway, which is the same configuration used at the Westnedge and I-94 interchange, according to MDOT Spokesman Nick Schirripa...
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Source: MDOT