The I-96 Flex Route lanes in western Oakland County will go into use starting March 19, the Michigan Department of Transportation announced.
The flex lanes are between Kent Lake Rd. and the I-275/I-696/M-5 interchange. The left shoulders will be used to help reduce congestion, increase road safety and efficiency.
The lanes have lights above that that will indicate whether or not they will be in use. A green arrow on the electronic sign will indicate that it's in use, while a red X indicates it is not open and driving in it will be illegal.
The lanes will be open during these times:
- Eastbound I-96: 6 - 9 a.m.
- Westbound I-96: 3:30 - 6 p.m.
The lanes may also go into use during crashes or other special circumstances.
MDOT's flex routes are monitored by the department's transportation operations centers which are 24/7/365 operations that have dispatchers from MDOT and Michigan State Police.
Ramp meters will be activated soon, which are traffic signals are entrance ramps to manage the flow of traffic entering the freeway during heavy congestion. WHen in use, drivers will stop at the red signal and then enter when the green signal is shown.
