Expansion of I-375 Lafayette Street Exit Begins This Week

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DETROIT — Greektown Casino-Hotel has received approval from the Michigan Department of Transportation to widen the southbound I-375 exit ramp to Lafayette Street. The single-lane exit will be widened to three lanes this fall to better serve Lafayette Street as well as Macomb Street, Monroe Avenue, and the Chrysler Service Drive.

The expansion will enhance safety and traffic flow in and around Detroit’s Greektown neighborhood and Central Business District. The wider Lafayette Street ramp is expected to handle up to 3,200 vehicles per hour compared to 1,600 vehicles currently.

Construction will begin Wednesday and will take approximately 10 weeks to complete. The ramp will remain open during construction; however, there may be short-term, temporary closures during off-peak hours. Plans also include landscaping areas surrounding the ramp which will be completed next spring.

“As more and more people are choosing downtown Detroit as their entertainment destination, this expansion will allow for a better visitor experience” said Brian Eby, senior vice president and assistant general manager of Greektown Casino-Hotel.

Greektown Casino-Hotel is investing approximately $1.25 million for the ramp expansion project. Detroit-headquartered Blaze Contracting Inc. is the general contractor of the project; Detroit-based Mannik Smith Group is the project engineer.