(WXYZ) — The Michigan Department of Transportation wants your feedback on an extremely busy interchange in metro Detroit.
See Ali Hoxie's story in the video below
We're talking about the 8 Mile and I-75 interchange, and MDOT has some ideas on how to make it easier to drive through.
The department is suggesting two big changes. First, get rid of the 8 Mile bridge over I-75 and make the service drive 8 Mile with lane expansions. Secondly, they could expand I-75 from three lanes to four lanes.
We talked to drivers who had some thoughts.
“Most of the time through the day, especially when it is rush hour, it gets really jammed packed," Kwanzel Howerton, from Pontiac, said.
Howerton works in Detroit and takes I-75 just about every day. He said the tight conditions on I-75, where traffic goes from four to three lanes at 8 Mile, not only gets congested. He said it can be dangerous.
"You have a lot of people getting violent and frustrated with each other because they’re getting home from work or they are on their lunch break and don’t have enough time, or whatever the case may be, but it gets hectic," he said.
“Do you see a lot of road rage in that area then?” I asked.
"All the time, all the time, definitely," he said.
Others told me they have issues merging onto the freeway in that spot.
"When I want to merge on going north on I-75, to get over it's hard already because it gets congested right there, so if you can get over ... it's going to merge you right on 8 Mile, so you really have to fight your way through," Jerome W, from Detroit, said.
James VanSteel, a transportation planner with MDOT, said there is no construction date planned, but they do have plans to improve the area that was originally built in the 1960s.
“As traffic patterns changed over time, four lanes were added both north and south of 8 Mile, but only three could fit underneath the bridge supports in this area," VanSteel said.
Right now, the plan would be to expand I-75 and get rid of what's known as a flyover bridge on 8 Mile.
"All of our concepts that we’re looking at in our recommended changed concept would actually remove what we call a flyover bridge, something that doesn’t have to stop at the traffic lights, so there would be fewer bridges overall and people would be able to see and drive in a simpler interchange concept," VanSteel said.
The plan would bring 8 Mile down to one bridge instead of two, with four lanes of traffic on 8 Mile, sidewalks for pedestrians and a goal of looking more aesthetically pleasing.
"That’s exciting to see that though, how it will look, it’s going to look different," Jerome said.
There will be a public meeting discussing the proposals for the interchange. It's on Tuesday, July 29, at the Hazel Park District Library from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
You can learn more about the meeting here.
