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When we can expect the final construction projects to wrap up for the year

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You may have already noticed, but construction season is starting to wind down across metro Detroit.

However, there are a few projects still in the works.

I caught up with Diane Cross from the Michigan Department of Transportation to see where some of these projects stand.

Cross said all lanes should be back open on I-696 in early December.

Another project close to wrapping up is Telegraph and 8 Mile. The intersection is being converted into a diverging diamond interchange. The interchange should be up and running by Monday.

Other projects like I-96 and M-14 have already been completed for the season.

Once everything is wrapped, crews will wait until the weather warms up again, but that could be happening sooner rather than later.

"Lately, the last few years we’ve had very early springs, in the sense of temperature wise, right, that we are just not having that heavy snow that we have had in the past, so we can often get out there a lot sooner. So I would say start looking maybe late February, early March, that we might start working out there again," Cross said.

However, another massive construction project is coming to I-696 starting in 2025. It's the third phase of the I-696 rebuild.

Cross told us in October that starting next year, construction will take place on I-696 between Lahser and I-75.

"This one is going to be another tough one. It's going to be tough for drivers," Cross said.

The two-year project will keep the westbound traffic going west for the duration of the project with two lanes open.

However, going eastbound, Cross said it will be detoured for two years away from the highway.

That detour will be eastbound I-696 to southbound M-10 (The Lodge) to eastbound M-8 (Davison) to northbound I-75 and back to eastbound I-696.

However, Cross said that they know that all drivers will not use the detour and there will be more congestion on the mile roads.