I-75 getting carpool lanes in Oakland County: What to know

Chandra Fleming, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read

One of metro Detroit's busiest highways is getting a carpool lane.

Construction is moving forward to build a carpool lane on Interstate 75, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. It would operate between South Boulevard and 12 Mile in Oakland County, at certain times of day.

Here are details on the new lane:

What's happening

Through the I-75 Modernization project, an additional lane of traffic between South Boulevard (south of M-59) and I-696 is coming to serve as a carpool lane.

The additional lane is to serve high-occupancy vehicles (HOV) between South Boulevard and 12 Mile during a.m. and p.m. peak driving times on weekdays.

MDOT's representative Robert Morosi said that the tentative hours for the HOV lanes are expected to be from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

During the other times on weekdays and during the weekend, the lane will serve as a general-purpose lane, meaning solo drivers can use it without receiving a citation.

I-75 sign.
I-75 sign.

When it starts

MDOT is waiting for approval for the lane through Michigan legislators and hopes to receive it at least by fall 2023 since that is when the construction is expected to be completed.

Once legislators approve the lane, MDOT then will have an idea of how much the citation would be for solo drivers caught using the lane during designated HOV hours.

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What is a HOV Lane?

A HOV lane is a lane that is dedicated to vehicles carrying two or more occupants, their restrictions vary, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The goal of HOV lanes is to remove congestion from normal lanes of travel, provide an incentive to use ridesharing and public transportation, and improve overall traffic operations according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

What is the I-75 Modernization project?

The 1-75 Modernization project started as an initiative to modernize I-75 from 8 Mile to 13 Mile. It created the diverging diamond intersection at Big Beaver, 14 Mile Road, and 13 Mile roads to improve vehicle and pedestrian safety.

There are three segments of the project, some roads have reopened in different segment areas and others remain closed.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: I-75 carpool lanes coming to Oakland County: What to know