Lane closures expected at Garfield and South Airport for signal repairs

Drivers moving through Garfield Township faced a bottleneck at Garfield Road and South Airport Road as crews worked to repair traffic-signal equipment damaged in a crash. The Grand Traverse County Road Commission said the closure hit the southeast corner of the intersection, trimming traffic at a junction that carries commuters, shoppers, school traffic, and summer travel between south Traverse City and surrounding neighborhoods.

The work affected the easternmost northbound lane on Garfield Road and the southernmost eastbound lane on South Airport Road. The Road Commission said repairs began Friday morning, June 12, 2026, and were expected to last all day, a stretch likely to create delays on one of the county’s most heavily used arterial roads.

Officials warned that the repair zone could trigger intermittent signal outages at the intersection. If the lights went dark, drivers were told to treat Garfield and South Airport as an all-way stop, a precaution that could slow traffic further as vehicles from all directions took turns through the crossing. With the closure concentrated at a key corner of the intersection, even brief backups could ripple into nearby retail drives, neighborhood routes and east-west traffic heading through Traverse City’s growth corridor.

The emergency repair was not part of a long-term construction project. The Road Commission described the work as a response to signal equipment damaged in an accident, which helps explain why the closure came with short notice and why local drivers were urged to plan ahead. Dan Watkins, manager of the Grand Traverse County Road Commission, was listed as the contact for the closure notice.

For motorists trying to get to work, appointments or summer plans, the impact centered on timing and patience. Garfield Road and South Airport Road are both familiar routes for people crossing between residential areas and commercial strips, and when one corner of that intersection slows, much of the south and central part of Traverse City feels it. The lane closures were expected to keep pressure on the corridor through the day, with the clearest advice remaining simple: expect delays, watch for signal problems and prepare to stop if the lights fail.