DETROIT – A project to repair retaining walls on M-10 (Lodge Freeway) in Detroit begin today -- and it’ll mean closures on service drives and eventually the freeway itself.

Beginning after 9 a.m. Wednesday, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will close the service drives of northbound and southbound M-10 near Outer Drive, north of Six Mile Road, to perform needed work on the retaining walls along the freeway and service drives.

MDOT says repairing these retaining walls will increase motorist safety by ensuring the integrity of the roadway.

“These closures will allow for a safe work zone for crews working on M-10 and along the service drives and ensure a safer commute for drivers,” MDOT said in a release.

The northbound M-10 service drive from Sorrento Avenue to Outer Drive will be closed first, followed by the southbound M-10 service drive closure from Hartwell Avenue to Thatcher Avenue for pavement removal. The closures are expected to remain for a few months.

The northbound M-10 service drive will be detoured to northbound Meyers Road, then westbound 7 Mile Road back to the northbound M-10 service drive.

The southbound M-10 service drive will be detoured to southbound Schaefer Highway, then eastbound McNichols Road back to the southbound M-10 service drive.

NB M-10 closed this weekend, SB M-10 next weekend

Northbound M-10 will be closed 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday from Wyoming Avenue to 7 Mile Road for excavation behind the retaining walls. Northbound M-10 will be detoured via eastbound M-8 (Davison Freeway) to northbound I-75, then westbound M-102 (8 Mile Road).

Southbound M-10 is expected to be closed the following weekend.

More on the project scope from MDOT:

"Work will be performed in two stages over the course of a few months. Currently, the work involves removing soil material behind the walls to alleviate pressure on the walls. Once the removal is complete, the M-10 lanes will reopen but the shoulders will remain closed, along with closed lanes on the service drives. Outer Drive is expected to remain open, although an occasional lane closure may be required for moving heavy equipment.

Once the first stage is complete, the reconstruction work will require design and be put out for bids and is expected to begin sometime in early spring. During the second stage, the right lanes of northbound and southbound M-10 near Outer Drive will be closed again, along with lanes on the service drives, to remove and reconstruct approximately 700 feet of walls in two segments."