There’s No Construction at This Exit, So Why Is It Closed?

If your travels take you northbound along US 127 in Lansing, you've no doubt noticed that Exit 78 has been closed for several weeks. That's the one that allows motorists access to Saginaw Street and Grand River Avenue on the city's east side.

You might have also noticed that except for the signs and barricades, there's absolutely nothing else happening at that exit as far as road construction is concerned.

So what gives?

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Turns out it's not just to create an unnecessary inconvenience for travelers in the Frandor area.

The state has its reasons, and they're related to ongoing construction at the previous northbound exit on US 127, Exit 76 - the one for Kalamazoo Street and Michigan Avenue.

Here's what Aaron Jenkins, Communications Representative for the University Region of the Michigan Department of Transportation told us:

(The Saginaw Street/Grand River Avenue exit) is closed to limit to congestion at the intersection of Saginaw Highway and Homer Street. This is related to the closure of the eastbound I-496 ramp to northbound US-127, where the detoured traffic is now on northbound Homer Street leading to additional demand that could cause Exit 78 to back up onto (the) northbound US-127 mainline posing a serious risk to public safety. This risk was realized early on in the design of this project, and it was recommended to close Exit 78 as a mitigation.

In other words, it's for our own good.

Exit 78 to Saginaw Street and Grand River Avenue is currently expected to remain closed through at least July 7.