Woodward to close south of Pontiac loop for two months

Pontiac — Southbound Woodward Avenue will be closed south of the Pontiac loop between Rapid Street and South Boulevard for two months, the Michigan Department of Transportation announced in a news release on Wednesday.

The closure will allow for safety improvements at the I-75 business loop and South Boulevard intersection. The improvements will include reconstructing the southbound I-75 business loop and installing indirect left turns, and new traffic signals.

The improvements are expected to cost MDOT $3 million, according to the news release. The investment will indirectly support 38 jobs.

Southbound Woodward Avenue will close on March 27 and is expected to reopen in early June, MDOT said in the news release. Southbound traffic can detour from the I-75 business loop to westbound M-59, onto southbound US-24 to eastbound US-24 Business Route then back onto Woodward Avenue. Two lanes on northbound I-75 business loop will remain open.

MDOT expects the closure to cause delays for morning and afternoon commuters.

hmackay@detroitnews.com