19-03-2025
Oakland County I-96 Flex Route opens for Wednesday rush hour
Some new lanes are now available for use — at least some of the time — on Interstate 96 in Oakland County.
The I-96 Flex Route, with a lane that opens during rush hours and when deemed necessary by officials, opened for use in the Novi area Wednesday morning.
Here's what to know:
A flex route is essentially a lane of traffic that is open some of the time to ease congestion on roadways.
The idea is to ease that congestion when it's necessary without the massive cost of creating permanent new lanes, said Diane Cross, Michigan Department of Transportation communications representative for metro Detroit.
Creating a new lane requires building new shoulders on the road and, in this case, grappling with wetland use, she said.
Instead, the state got dispensation to use already existing left shoulders, at times, to offer another lane to drivers, she said.
'We really are busy a few hours a day,' Cross said of the stretch of I-96.
The new I-96 Flex Route is on part of the stretch of the freeway from Novi to Brighton, but it stops a little bit before Brighton.
It's between Kent Lake Road in the area of New Hudson, above South Lyon, and the I-275/I-696/M-5 interchange in Novi.
It touches Lyon Township and Wixom, as well.
The eastbound I-96 flex lane will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays.
The westbound I-96 flex lane will be open from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., also on weekdays.
Officials may also choose to open the lanes when there's a crash or congestion at other times, but Cross indicated that would probably be rare. Officials don't just flip a switch to turn on the flex lanes, but have to take other steps including sending a van to check that the lanes are clear and safe before it can open.
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To be clear, drivers don't get to make the call that it's an OK time to use the flex lanes.
Using the flex lanes when not officially open by officials could result in a ticket.
Look for the green arrows.
The flex lane is set off with yellow lines, denoting that it is technically a shoulder of the road. Above it are electronic message signs. When the message signs show a green arrow, the flex lane is open and may be used.
When a red X shows on the message board instead of a green arrow, the flex lane is closed. Again, use of the flex lane when there's a red X could lead to a citation.
The signs may also flash suggested speed limits. The idea is to help drivers slow down before congested areas or spots with crashes.
They aren't up and running yet, but in a few weeks it is expected the state will begin the use of ramp meters on eight ramps along this same stretch of I-96 in Oakland County, Cross said.
These ramps will split into two lanes before they merge onto the freeway, and each will have their own signals, she said.
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Green and red lights will indicate to drivers when they can enter the highway. The key difference from a normal traffic signal is that motorists in one lane may get the green 'go' signal while the lane next to it still has a red 'stop' signal,' by Cross' description.
The goal is to reduce stop-and-go traffic and crashes.
These are new in the state, Cross said.
The flex lanes aren't. The state first opened a flex route in 2017 on U.S. 23 north of Ann Arbor. A project is underway to extend that route to I-96.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Oakland County I-96 Flex Route opens: What to know
