Getting from one side of Hazel Park to the other is becoming a mess as three important vehicular bridges will be down at the same time as part of the I-75 modernization project in Oakland County. And that has the city manager fuming.

While the city's headache is expected to last for months, I-75 drivers will have heartburn this weekend as the Michigan Department of Transportation shuts down both sides of the freeway to remove the last of those bridges. It will be a repeat of this past weekend's closure.

"Those bridges are important access points to go east and west," Hazel Park City Manager Ed Klobucher said Monday. "Taking three bridges out at the same time is a significant hardship for the city of Hazel Park."

In a city divided by I-75, Klobucher said there will be very few crossover points; slower response times for police and fire; difficulty for children to get to their schools on the other side of the interstate; a negative impact on the business community, and a "significant inconvenience" for the city's more than 16,400 residents.

Klobucher said while officials have been aware about the I-75 project and knew this work was coming, he said they didn't get the construction schedule until a few weeks ago.

And they didn't know all these bridges would be down at the same time, he said.

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“MDOT engages in a robust public involvement process for all major projects, including the 75 modernization project. Communications with all affected Oakland County communities along the corridor have been ongoing, not just this year but over the past decade,” Michigan Department of Transportation spokeswoman Diane Cross said.

MDOT announced on Tuesday a weekend closure on I-75 for demolition of the John R. Road bridge and the turnaround structures for John R. and Nine Mile roads.

Also, north of I-696, prep work continues for an upcoming traffic lane shift between 13 Mile Road and Coolidge Highway, MDOT said.

Northbound and southbound I-75 will be closed between 8 Mile and Square Lake roads beginning at 11 p.m. Friday, with freeway lanes opening in both directions by 5 a.m. Monday, MDOT said in a news release. The closure is weather permitting.

Prior to the freeway closure, crews will begin closing entrance ramps at 9 p.m. and start freeway lane closures at 10 p.m., MDOT said.

During the closure, both directions of I-75 traffic will be detoured using 8 Mile Road, Woodward Avenue and Square Lake Road. By 5 a.m. Monday, two lanes of the freeway will reopen in each direction between Adams and 8 Mile roads, the release states.

Cross said the closure "will affect a lot of drivers on 75."

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The entire I-75 modernization project, which started several years ago, is to improve 18 miles of freeway at a cost of $1.7 billion.

MDOT shut down I-75 last weekend to remove other bridges — the Meyers Road, Woodward Heights Boulevard and Harry Avenue bridges in Hazel Park — as well as to do prep work for the traffic shift.

Klobucher said the Harry Avenue bridge was a pedestrian bridge — that, with the Meyers Bridge, which was for vehicles — served United Oaks Elementary School.

He said Hazel Park has a fire mutual aid pact with Ferndale and Madison Heights so that will help if there is a fire call. Klobucher said the city will "make sure everyone gets protection given the lack of access."

Klobucher said he expects 9 Mile Road to the south and the Shevlin Bridge to the north, just south of 10 Mile, to be congested.

Kyle Pollet, assistant city manager in Ferndale, said the work shouldn't impact Ferndale too much. He said there may be more stress on the mile roads, but officials don't expect to see a big uptick in traffic.

"It shouldn't cause too much pain," he said.

But that's not expected to be the case in Hazel Park, which is divided by the interstate.

Klobucher said that months from now the Woodward Heights, Meyers and John R vehicular bridges are to go back up. But he's urging workers to complete the projects "as soon as possible."

"We need them to move with a sense of purpose," Klobucher said.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.