KALAMAZOO, MI — A major widening of Interstate 94 in Kalamazoo County is scheduled to begin in 2021, according to Michigan Department of Transportation plans.

I-94 from Lovers Lane to Sprinkle Road will undergo a major widening project, according to a draft version of MDOT’s 2020-2024 Five-Year Transportation Program.

The project will make the road six lanes total, three for westbound traffic and three for eastbound traffic, MDOT spokesman Nick Schirripa said. The widened section will connect to another portion of I-94 west of the project location that is already three lanes in each direction.

The highway, which cuts through Portage and Kalamazoo, passing the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, currently has two eastbound lanes and two westbound lanes. One westbound section west of East Kilgore Road is currently three lanes.

“There’s a lot of commuter and commercial traffic in that section of I-94 between 9th and Sprinkle and lots of exits in a small area,” Schirripa said. “Adding a third lane is a way to address a hot spot.”

The changes are meant to help drivers who are passing through the area avoid contending with cars getting on and off the road, he said, and will help motorists exit there to keep traffic flowing at peak times.

There will be lane closures and lanes will be shifted on I-94 during the project, he said. The interchange at Portage Road will also be rebuilt, he said.

I-94 at Portage Road in Kalamazoo County.

Traffic will be able to pass in the area in both directions during the project, he said.

MDOT said it is too early to provide cost estimates for the project, and it has not been put out for bids at this time.

Schirripa called them “pricey projects” and declined to give a cost estimate at this time.

Completion is expected in 2022, Schirripa said.

The project is included in a draft of the 2020-2024 Five-Year Transportation Program, which MDOT submitted to the State Transportation Committee on July 18. It will remain a draft program until it receives final approval by the STC, which is expected to occur on Thursday, Oct. 17, MDOT said.

The public is invited to comment on the draft 2020-2024 Five-Year Transportation Program now through Aug. 30.

The draft document, which is updated annually, includes information about MDOT’s mobility initiatives, revenues and a list of specific transportation projects planned for the next five years in each of MDOT’s seven regions. View the program document on the MDOT website at www.Michigan.gov/MDOT5YearProgram.