NEWSPAPERS n o i t i d E l a i c e p S
JANUARY 29, 2025 candgnews.com Oakland County papers
File photo by Sarah Wright
Thanks to a $4.4 million grant from the EPA’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program, streets in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties will see new electric recycling trucks in 2025. Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
The last phase of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s “Restore the Reuther” project is slated to begin on March 1. Eastbound and westbound I-696 between Lahser Road and I-75 is set to be rebuilt in 2025-2026.
EASTBOUND I-696 TO CLOSE BETWEEN I-75 AND LAHSER FOR 2 YEARS BY KATHRYN PENTIUK kpentiuk@candgnews.com
OAKLAND COUNTY — On March 1, the third and final phase of the “Restore the Reuther” project will commence, as eastbound and westbound Interstate 696 between Lahser Road and Interstate 75 will be rebuilt in 2025-2026. In 2027, I-696 between I-75 and Dequindre Road will see improvements such as the rebuilding of the roadway, bridge work and drainage structures. Additionally, 60 bridges will be repaired, in-
cluding the rebuilding of the Church Street Plaza bridge that contains Victoria Park. During that construction, a walkway detour will be available. The project is expected to be completed by fall 2027. Diane Cross, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Transportation, clarified that westbound traffic will be maintained while eastbound and westbound I-696 will be rebuilt between Lahser Road and I-75. “We’re reconstructing all of the freeway, but one year we will reconstruct the eastbound side See ROADWORK on page 6A
15 EV recycling trucks to hit the streets in 2025 BY KATHRYN PENTIUK kpentiuk@candgnews.com
METRO DETROIT — A fleet of 15 electric recycling trucks will take to the streets of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties to replace some of the older diesel-fueled vehicles. This transition will begin this month and is expected to be completed by December, 2026, with the new EV trucks on the road by this summer, according to Phil Roos, who is the director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. “In the early part of 2025, we’re going to release a competitive RFP (request for proposal) for applicants in those three county areas, and we’ll be reviewing those, scoring them, and then announcing the awards, which should be early summer,” Roos said. “And then we can start putting these in place.” According to Roos, EGLE was awarded $4.4 million by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program, which is made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act. He said that aging diesel-fueled vehicles will be replaced, See TRUCKS on page 4A