PORT HURON, MI — While backups near the Blue Water Bridge have been drawing complaints from local drivers, officials say there are no new traffic issues tied to construction and that recent delays were largely the result of temporary customs slowdowns on the Canadian side.
Carrie Warren, senior project manager for the Michigan Department of Transportation’s plaza expansion project, said traffic flow has remained mostly steady this week.
“There are no known traffic issues,” she said, adding that any slight slowdowns entering the United States would fall under the jurisdiction of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The worst congestion late last week stemmed from technical problems at Canadian customs stations affecting multiple crossings between Ontario and the U.S., Warren said. That issue has since been resolved.
To keep traffic moving on Pine Grove Avenue when trucks stack up, local police are called in to ticket drivers who block the roadway, officials said.
According to an MDOT press release issued Wednesday, Oct. 8, the newly realigned eastbound I-94/I-69 Exit 275 ramp to M-25 (Pine Grove Avenue) is now open to traffic. Crews are also finishing noise wall work along Scott Avenue, expected to wrap up by Nov. 15.
The $36.3 million first phase of the Blue Water Bridge plaza expansion includes relocating Exit 275, rebuilding portions of I-94/I-69, and reconfiguring the Pine Grove/10th Avenue intersection. Based on economic modeling, the project is expected to directly and indirectly support 346 jobs.
Some area residents say they still try to steer clear of the area during peak times.
“I’d rather add 10 minutes to my drive and go through the city than get stuck on the interstate,” said Port Huron resident Savannah Brown.
Commuter Gino Giacumbo, who lives in Flushing and works near the bridge, takes a similar approach. “I don’t leave it to chance,” he said, explaining that he exits early and drives through town. “It’s nice to go through after an hour on the interstate.”
Contact reporter Andy Jeffrey at ajeffrey@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: MDOT: Traffic heading to Blue Water Bridge isn’t due to construction
Reporting by Andy Jeffrey, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
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