Major construction along I-94 corridor begins in May

GARY, Ind. (WLS) -- Indiana Department of Transportation officials announced major construction along Interstate 94 that will affect drivers starting next month.

INDOT Commissioner Brandye Hendrickson, Indiana state Rep. Ed Soliday, Indiana State Police and other state officials held a news conference Thursday morning to outline the plan for the $45 million project, which is called Restore I-94.

From May to October, crews will be working on six sections of the I-94 corridor, stretching from Illinois to Michigan:

-US 41 (Calumet Avenue) to Indianapolis Boulevard

-SR 912 (Cline Avenue) to SR 53 (Broadway)

-US 6 (Ripley Street) to SR 249

-County Line Road to US 421

-US 421 to US 35

-US 35 to the Michigan state line

Crews will be resurfacing streets, replacing bridge decks, doing drainage work and painting bridges. Officials said the traffic volume on I-94 is among the highest in the country.

Officials said the department plans to do all of the work at once because the improvements are needed now - and if they were to work on each section one at a time, drivers would be inconvenienced for several years instead of only several months.

Motorists should expect delays through the fall of 2016, especially during peak hours, weekends and holidays. Drivers are advised to travel during off-peak hours. But they should be aware that nighttime work is also a possibility.

Since it is already under construction, the Indiana Toll Road will not be a good alternate.

INDOT urges drivers to plan ahead, be alert and travel at a safe speed through work zones. Officials also said to reduce back-ups, motorists should merge as soon as they see signs for a work zone instead of waiting until the last minute.