MDOT to Improve US-31 and 3-Mile Road Intersection Starting April 2026
A five-week detour on 3-Mile Road near Cherry Capital Airport begins April 13 as MDOT starts intersection work at US-31.
Drivers heading to Cherry Capital Airport or the Grand Traverse Mall through the 3-Mile Road corridor will face a five-week detour starting April 13 as the Michigan Department of Transportation begins intersection improvements at US-31 and 3-Mile Road.
MDOT announced the project April 6, with construction crews set to mobilize at the East Bay Township intersection in one week. The work will shift 3-Mile Road traffic onto Parsons Road and Airport Access Road for approximately five weeks while contractors complete the core intersection work without exposing crews to live cross-traffic on the heavily traveled US-31 corridor.
The scope includes new signalization, added turn lanes, and changes to intersection geometry, all aimed at correcting long-standing safety and capacity problems where residential traffic, airport access, Grand Traverse Mall traffic, and regional freight converge on the same roadway.
Beyond the 3-Mile Road detour, drivers on US-31 should expect lane closures and variable work-zone speeds through the summer months. Pedestrian access will also be affected, and the project notice identifies changes to beach access at a nearby state park during construction windows, a reference that points to Traverse City State Park along this stretch of US-31.
MDOT is serving as the lead agency on the project, which carries federally assisted funding. Grand Traverse County and Garfield Township are listed as local partners for access coordination, communications, and utility work.
Drivers are encouraged to follow posted detour signs and allow extra travel time, particularly during daytime construction windows. Real-time updates, lane closure schedules, and detour maps will be posted to MDOT's project page at michigan.gov.
The improvements, once complete, are intended to reduce collisions and improve throughput at one of the county's busiest transitional points between US-31's regional spine and the commercial and airport corridors branching off it.
Sources:
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
