A busy Mid-Michigan intersection is about to get a lot more chaotic.
Crews are already getting things prepped for construction at the Jolly and Okemos intersection.
FOX 47's Cryss Walker tells us what you need to know about this big project.
There's a lot to do at the intersection on Okemos and Jolly Roads.
You can go grab a bite to each, stop and get some gas and do all of that before getting on I-96, but a new road project coming to the area is going to slow down your routine.
“The project involves adding two right turn lanes, to turn from Jolly Road south on to Okemos, to turn from northbound Okemos on to eastbound Jolly and from southbound Okemos on to westbound Jolly”, said Bill Conklin from the Ingham County Road Department.
“It's gonna be a mess”, said Joe Grzegorzewski, who works in the area.
“We're not going to be able to turn. I'm not sure how I'm going to get to work in the morning and I'm not sure how I'm going to get back to the highway in the evening. I think it's gonna be a mess around here”, Grzegorzewski continued.
A mess that county road officials say will be a short-term inconvenience with long-term benefits.
“There's two projects actually going on. There's the intersection of Jolly and Okemos, which is just there at the intersection, several hundred feet in each direction”, said Conklin.
“And then we're also working currently on Jolly Road between Dobie and Meridian Road. That's about two miles long”, Conklin explained.
Right now, the road is closed on Jolly Road between Dobie and Meridian Roads to make way for the new project.
“Progress is inconvenient but it's necessary”, said Okemos resident Dr. Alice Hamachek.
“So when this is done, it will be wonderful”, Hamachek cheerfully explained.
The wonders will include wider roads, a fresh surface, drain improvements and new shoulder lanes.
The make-over for both projects has a $4.6 million price tag, an expense the county road department says is necessary to keep up with the flow of traffic.
Both projects involving Jolly Road are expected to be completed by the end of the summer.
