I-94 resurfacing project in Berrien County set to begin Monday

NEW BUFFALO, Mich. -- A resurfacing project on I-94 in Berrien County will impact drivers for the next several months. 

From now until the end of August, Michigan Department of Transportation workers will resurface a two mile stretch of I-94 from the Indiana/Michigan state line to M-239. 

MDOT says the $9.5 million project will extend the road’s life, improve safety, and provide drivers with a smoother ride. 

During construction, one lane in each direction will be shut down during the day and at night there will be double-lane closures. 

MDOT says as construction season gets underway, drivers need to be patient with projects like this one.

“People love to joke that our state flower is the construction barrel, so people are familiar with it in Michigan,” said MDOT spokesman Nick Schirripa. “We all know it’s coming. It’s something that happens every summer. We have to do the work so we try to minimize the impact as best as we can.” 

Nearby businesses say construction season and projects like this can increase traffic or prevent people from stopping at their shops.

Roger Lijewski says his wrecker business experiences the opposite. He says his business increases when more orange cones pop up on the roads.

“You have traffic problems, especially in the summer time,” said Lijewski. “You get cars that overheat out there and you know, we’ve gone out and towed them in, fixed those. Accidents, people not paying attention or something. We tow for police so when there’s an accident, we get the call to clean them up and take care of that, so yeah, it impacts us.”

To learn more about the I-94 resurfacing project and other upcoming projects, click here.