The Michigan Department of Transportation has revealed more details about its plans to reconstruct 4.5 miles of M-139 in Benton Township and Benton Harbor starting next year.
Speaking to Benton Harbor City Commissioners this week, MDOT’s John Smith said they’ll be working on the road from around the Fairplain Plaza to the I-94 Business Loop over a two-year period starting in April. Work in 2026 will include a reconfiguration of MLK Drive and Fair Avenue.
“Right now it’s an existing one-way pair,” Smith said. “Northbound traffic is on MLK, southbound traffic is on Fair Avenue. So with this project, we’re actually going to be separating those. Both of those are going to become two-way traffic.”
Smith said that’ll make the corridor feel more like a neighborhood street than a highway. They’re also reducing the number of lanes on M-139 in the area.
“We could have 400 years of traffic growth and we are just then meeting capacity. It just it doesn’t make sense with three lanes on each road right now. So taking it down to a single lane each direction will hopefully reduce speeds because right now it’s basically it’s three lanes. That’s I-94.”
The redesign will add sidewalks, better crosswalks, and transit stops. The intersection of M-139 and Empire Avenue will also be rebuilt as a roundabout due to longstanding safety concerns.
In 2027, work will continue to the south, from Ox Creek to North Fairplain Drive.
Smith said the project should make the roads safer, improve drainage, and replace old utilities.
