M-72 will be closed near Greilickville Jan. 13, weather permitting, to prepare for a roundabout installation at the M-22 intersection in spring 2025. Traffic going east and west will be detoured onto county roads and Traverse City streets.
This closure should have less of an impact on people driving in and out of Leelanau County on M-22 via Traverse City, however. According to a Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) press release, the project will take about four weeks to complete, with an estimated end date of Feb. 10.
Contractors will relocate underground utilities on M-72 while the highway is partially closed from Jan. 13 to Feb. 10, as part of preparations for the roundabout project in the spring.
To help manage the increased number of vehicles on secondary roads, a temporary traffic signal is being installed at the Cedar Run/Gray Road intersection in Grand Traverse County. This threeway intersection currently has a stop sign, but only southbound traffic is required to stop. Gray Road becomes Bugai Road at the Leelanau County line, about a mile north of Cedar Run.
M-72 will be closed to thru-traffic between Bugai Road/Gray Road and the M-72/M-22 intersection. The highway will be completely closed beginning just south of the Marshall and Bruce Law Firm, Incochee Woods Drive/South Meridian Drive, to the intersection with M-22.
Many roads lead to the M-22/M-72 intersection. Traffic often gets congested at the three-way stoplight here, which is near Greilickville in Elmwood Township. A planned roundabout may ease traffic flow when it’s completed. The project is scheduled to start in mid-April.
According to MDOT, it will cost $25.8 million to install the roundabout and rebuild 2.2 miles of road. The project also includes Cherry Bend Road traffic signal upgrades, drainage improvements, and replacing sidewalks and nonmotorized paths.
Detours listed in the MDOT press release include: • Westbound traffic is expected to be detoured to U.S. Highway 31/M-37 (Division Street), West Front Street, Cedar Run Road, and Gray Road to M-72.
• Eastbound traffic is expected to be detoured to Tilton Road, Cedar Run Road, West Front Street, and US-31/M-72 (Division Street).
• Eastbound traffic to northbound M-22 is expected to be detoured to South Bugai Road and Cherry Bend Road.
• Eastbound traffic to westbound M-72 is expected to be detoured to South Bugai Road and Cherry Bend Road.
• Southbound M-22 traffic to westbound M-72 will be detoured to Cherry Bend Road and South Bugai Road.
• Eastbound M-72 truck traffic to northbound M-22 and southbound M-22 truck traffic to westbound M-72 will be detoured on South Richter Road, East Eckerle Road, South Center Highway, East Bingham Road, and South Lake Leelanau Drive/South Bugai Road (County Road 641).
Bay Street from M-72 to US-31/M-37 (Division Street) and several intersections will be closed. Ramsdell Road and Monroe and Madison streets will be closed to thru traffic.
The following portions of roads will be closed to thru traffi c: East Carter Road from M-72 to M-22, Barney Road from Gray to Cedar Run roads, Harris Road from Cedar Run to Barney roads, and East Lincoln Road from Bugai and Cherry Bend roads.