Interstate 75 co-signed with I-85 in downtown Atlanta. Credit: Airtuna08 (talk).
Interstate 75 co-signed with I-85 in downtown Atlanta. Credit: Airtuna08 (talk).

John Laing, part of Oakland Corridor Partners (OCP), has announced the start of construction on the third segment of the I-75 modernisation project in the US.

The third and final segment of the almost 18-mile Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) I-75 modernisation programme, which includes an upgraded 5.5-mile highway section through Oakland County.

OCP’s partnership with MDOT will see the final completion of the facility ten years ahead of the previous schedule.

OCP CEO David Nachman said: “We are proud to be able to work together with MDOT to improve safety and ease congestion through this corridor.

“Many of our team members are local firms who are excited to be investing in Michigan to bring critical infrastructure to their communities. We are also thrilled to know we will remain in the community well after construction, preserving and maintaining the roadway.”

The 5.5-mile section includes the reconstruction of the I-75 corridor, starting from the eighth-mile to just north of the 13-mile road, as well as the construction of a new four-mile-long, 14ft-wide storage and drainage tunnel.

Pavement widening, traffic crossovers and the removal of the Dallas Road overpass works are expected to be completed this year.

Following the project completion of the whole in 2023, OCP will take full responsibility for the highway’s maintenance for 25 years.

Last September, MDOT selected OCP as the preferred bidder for the $1.4bn final phase of the I-75 modernisation project.

Firms involved in the OCP consortium are Aecom Capital, Ajax Paving Industries, Dan’s Excavating, Jay Dee and John Laing.

MI 75 Constructors is the design-build contractor for the project.