Major Traffic Hassles Ahead in Birmingham

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Get ready to pack your patience, Birmingham drivers.

Two road construction projects on sections of Maple and Big Beaver roads totaling $4.4 million will disrupt traffic from spring through early fall, the Detroit Free Press reports.

An entire section of Big Beaver between Adams and Woodward will be completely closed to traffic through the duration of the project, with traffic detoured onto Woodward Avenue to Long Lake to Adams Road, and then back to Big Beaver.

The project will add a center turn lane to Big Beaver between Woodward and Brookdale. Also planned during the construction is replacement of a dual culverts that carry the Rouge River under Big Beaver with a single box culvert.

Access to homes and businesses will be maintained.

Major east-west routes during both projects, the other one being on West Maple between Southfield and Cranbrook, will be 14 Mile and Long Lake Road.

West Maple will likely be shut down for an initial period for some minor sewer work, and then reopened to one lane of traffic in each direction. The city will decide in the spring whether to narrow Maple Road to one lane in each direction and add a center lane.

Federal funds are picking up the majority of the costs, with the Road Commision of Oakland County kicking in the local match.