I-69 Flint Lane Closures Ending Before Thanksgiving

Drivers in and around Flint have been feeling the squeeze on I-69 for the last month, as single-lane traffic has turned a normally quick stretch of freeway into a daily slow roll. But there’s finally some good news on the horizon.

Slowdowns on I-69 Set to End Before the Holiday

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, the lane closures that have frustrated so many commuters are on track to reopen just ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel week.

Why MDOT Is Building Crossovers

An MDOT spokesperson says the crews are making the final push to wrap up this year’s work on the expressway crossovers, those temporary roadway sections built to shift traffic from one side of the interstate to the other.

Since late October, those crossover installations have forced MDOT to close one lane in each direction between I-75 and Morrish Road. If everything continues on pace, westbound and eastbound drivers should see both lanes back open by November 26, right before the holiday surge.

Major Bridge Improvements Coming in 2026 and 2027

This isn’t just routine patchwork, either. MDOT is laying the groundwork for a major, two-year overhaul of 15 bridges and related structures between Flint and Swartz Creek, plus a pair of structures over near Sheridan Road, better known to local drivers as M-13, in Shiawassee County.

With a $33.3-million price tag, the project is designed to make future full closures possible without completely shutting down the freeway. The new crossovers will allow crews to route two-way traffic onto one side of the interstate while the other side undergoes heavy construction.

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It’s a big lift, and while nobody loves lane closures, MDOT says the prep work happening now will save drivers from even more painful backups later. And if crews hit their mark, we’ll all be cruising freely again on I-69 before sitting down for turkey.