Michigan Concrete Association

This massive reconstruction required building over half of the 23 mile long Lodge Freeway, Detroit’s busiest commuter route. It had to be done quickly, but safety of the crews and motorists was a major concern. In order to accomplish meeting the tight schedule, MDOT decided to totally close sections of the road so that the work could be accomplished in one construction season. This gave the crews a safer environment to work in, saved the taxpayer dollars and afforded the contractor more time to focus on quality workmanship.

Ajax Paving Industries won the paving portion of the $140 million construction contract to reconstruct and rehabilitate 14 miles of the Lodge. The project called for total reconstruction of the roadway and 50 bridges between Lahser Road in Southfield and Jefferson Avenue. Ajax placed over 130,000 cubic yards of concrete on the section between Lahser and Greenfield. Another 65,000 cubic yards were poured to complete the project. Reconstruction of the Lodge involved pavement thicknesses ranging from nine to eleven inches.

To the credit of MDOT, closing a busy urban freeway to reconstruct a major portion of the roads and bridges has never been done before. The magnitude of the project has drawn national attention. MDOT representatives were asked to speak about this project both at the International Conference on Concrete Pavements in Atlanta, GA and the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C.