Metro Detroit drivers are about to get some relief for a major traffic headache.

The Michigan Department of Transportation is nearing the end of its Restore the Reuther project. 

Crews have been rebuilding I-696 between I-75 and M-10 since early 2025. They took care of the eastbound lanes first and recently completed work on the westbound side.

Starting on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, MDOT will reopen the westbound lanes.

Spokesperson Diane Cross says they’ll also reopen all the off-ramps on westbound 696 except one–the Woodward Avenue exit. She says they were working on Woodward but had to stop because of the annual Dream Cruise.

“We have to come back and do some work on the service drive,” she says. “And because of that, we can’t have any traffic coming off the freeway through the area where we’re working.”

The end is near

To prepare for the reopening of the westbound lanes, MDOT will close the freeway between I-75 and M-10 from 9 p.m. on Oct. 9 until 5 a.m. on Oct. 12. 

Cross says eastbound 696 remains closed between M-10 and I-75, but that won’t last much longer

“We have to repair all those places where we were letting traffic cross over through the work zone,” she says. “We’ve got a lot of clean up in the median on before we can shift eastbound back.”

Cross says that work should be complete by the end of the year.

Once both sides of the freeway are open, drivers will no longer have to use the 26-mile detour around eastbound 696. It has taken traffic south on M-10, east on Davison, and north on 75 to rejoin the Reuther Freeway.

MDOT still has work to do on 696 between I-75 and Dequindre. That will start in 2027, but Cross says they won’t have to close the freeway.

“We will leave two lanes open in each direction,” she says. “It’ll be slow and there’ll be work, but traffic will be able to use the freeway.”

Maintenance will continue

Cross says drivers will see maintenance work on 696 in the years to come.

“We have to take care of small problems before they become big problems,” she says. “You want us doing maintenance because that makes the roadway last longer.”

Drivers can get updates on the project at MDOT’s Driving Oakland website.

Wayne County has reported its first human case of West Nile virus this year.

The Wayne County Public Health Division says the person who contracted the mosquito-borne illness does not live in the county.

Chief Medical Health Officer Avani Sheth reminds residents that mosquito season is not over. She recommends limiting time outdoors at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active, and removing standing water from properties, where mosquitoes can breed.

Hip-Hop Theater Festival comes to Detroit this weekend

Detroit-based music artist collective Beat Rhymes Everything Detroit, or BRED, is hosting the Hip-Hop Theater Festival this weekend.

The event is the culmination of a 16-day period in which playwrights came together to create four new plays inspired by narrative hip-hop songs.

The festival will feature a hip-hop improv showcase, a hip-hop family hour and an all-ages play.

The festival runs Aug. 28-30 at the Hilberry Gateway, 4715 Cass Ave. in Detroit. Events begin at 7 p.m. Aug. 28.

For more information, visit hip-hop-theater-fest.com.

Art on the Avenue celebrates Detroit art, design and culture

A celebration of art, design, culture and community is coming to Detroit’s historic Livernois Avenue of Fashion on Sept. 5.

Art on the Avenue 2026 will bring galleries, artists, creative businesses and retailers together along the corridor for exhibitions, art showcases, live entertainment and more.

Participating galleries include Jo’s Gallery, Sherwood Forest Art and Art in Motion.

More information is available on the events page at Detroit Month of Design.

Kroger plans two new metro Detroit stores

Kroger is investing $73.5 million to build two new metro Detroit stores in Dearborn and Commerce Township.

Both stores are set to open in 2027 and will replace existing nearby Kroger locations. Together, the new stores are expected to employ roughly 350 people.

The Dearborn store will be located at Ford Road and Mercury Drive and will replace the Kroger at 15255 Michigan Ave. It is expected to open in June 2027.

A third Kroger proposed as part of a mixed-use development in Royal Oak is awaiting full municipal approval.

I-696 access to I-75 to be restored

Access from westbound I-696 to I-75 is expected to be restored Aug. 31.

Motorists traveling westbound on I-696 will regain access to both the northbound and southbound I-75 ramps.

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, both directions of I-696 and associated ramps are expected to reopen by the end of the year.

Additional work is planned along both sides of I-696 between I-75 and Dequindre Road in 2027.