Section of Interstate 696 in Oakland County reopens earlier than expected
A portion of westbound Interstate 696 in Oakland County is back open, two days earlier than expected, after crews finished work on a demolition project.
A planned closure of westbound I-696 between Interstate 75 and M-10 started on May 9 and was expected to last through May 19. On Saturday, the Michigan Department of Transportation said it was reopened to the public.
The closure allowed demolition crews to take down the Church Street plaza bridge, including the breakup of 170 concrete beams. Officials said crews also did repair work on bridges west of the Church Street plaza.
Eastbound I-696 from Lahser Road to I-75 will be completely closed until late next year as part of the "Restore the Reuther" project.
State officials say the project is expected to wrap up in the fall of 2027.
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Photo by: BMW Let's say you're running your new, 5,300-pound BMW M5 at Road America, where you'll regularly blow past 150 mph on the track's long straights. Let's also say you're one of the last of the late brakers, pushing your brake zones as deep into the corner as you dare, hitting the pedal as hard as you can. If you've got carbon brakes on, you shouldn't expect those rotors to last very long at all. But say you've got a Porsche 911 GT3, which weighs in around 3,330 pounds, and you're at Lime Rock Park, which has only one heavy braking zone. And let's also say that you're a bit more measured. Rather than braking hard and late, you brake a little lighter, a little earlier. In that case, you can reasonably expect a more life out of your carbon-ceramic rotors. That difference, though, is why Porsche still offers cast-iron rotors on its GT cars, even the mighty GT3 RS. 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