ROTHBURY, MI - Construction on U.S. 31 won't affect delay traffic heading toward Rothbury for Electric Forest 2016 any more than usual, according to MDOT spokesman John Richard.

Lane closures have been frequent on 5.5 miles of U.S. 31 between Fruitvale Road and Winston Road since MDOT began a resurfacing project on April 18. The project is not expected to be completed until September.

The Winston Road exit serves as the main entrance to the Double JJ Ranch where 40,000 people are expected to take up temporary residence for Electric Forest June 23-26.

Long lines and traffic jams occur each year on the festival's first day and construction would only make matters worse.

But MDOT plans to have two northbound lanes open June 22 through June 24 and possibly through the weekend, so wait times and traffic jams shouldn't be any worse than usual.

"We do not anticipate the construction activity in the area to affect the festival traffic as we will have all lanes and ramps open for the higher traffic volumes," Richard said via email.

The less-traveled southbound lanes of U.S. 31 will have closures when the festival starts, but all lane closures will be removed by Sunday, June 26 at the latest to accommodate departing traffic. Southbound lane closures will resume on Tuesday after the event, Richard said.

The current traffic setup which has the freeway closed at Winston Road and sends all traffic "up and over" on the ramps will be removed this week; possibly as soon as today.

Electric Forest is now in its sixth year. The festival is known for showcasing a mix of roots, rock and jam-style bands, as well as some of the top performers from the electronic dance genre and draws people from around the world to the small West Michigan community of Rothbury.

Brandon Champion is a journalist for MLive.com. Email him at bchampio@mlive.com and follow him Facebook and Twitter.