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Final season of US-131 reconstruction in Three Rivers starts Monday

March 17, 2020 -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is set to start the final season of the two-year, $20 million reconstruction of 2.3 miles of US-131 through Three Rivers in St. Joseph County.

This season's work includes reconfiguring US-131 into a boulevard from Broadway Street to Hoffman Road, removing the northbound M-60 ramp to West Michigan Avenue, adding a shared-use path along northbound US-131 from West Broadway Street to Arnold Street, and new sidewalk along southbound US-131 from Broadway Street to Kerr Creek Road.

In 2019, MDOT completed improvements of the Rocky River bridge, reconstructed the Hoffman Road intersection, and reconstructed the US-131/M-60 interchange with a new alignment and traffic signal. A new box culvert also was constructed under US-131 for the Wildcat Drain south of the new M-60 intersection.

Construction is expected to start Monday, March 23, and be completed by Monday, Nov. 16. This project includes night and weekend work, and one lane of US-131 will be open in each direction throughout construction. Access to businesses will be maintained, and there will be detours posted for local roads during intersection closures for reconstruction.

2020 construction will be broken into three stages:

  • The first stage will have all traffic shifted to the southbound lanes of US-131 while the northbound lanes are reconstructed.
  • The second stage is expected to start in early July and all traffic will be shifted onto the new northbound lanes as the southbound lanes are rebuilt.
  • With an anticipated start in early September, the final stage will see traffic shifted to the outside lanes of both northbound and southbound US-131 for construction of the new median and indirect left-turn lanes, or Michigan Lefts.

The new lane and intersection configurations will improve operations and traffic flow, reducing left-turn crashes and overall crash severity along the US-131 corridor. Shorter pedestrian crossings and additional facilities will improve access and safety for pedestrians.

Project details and construction progress are available on Mi Drive.