Commuters Face Delays As I-196 Ramp Remains Closed Indefinitely

If your commute takes you anywhere near the 131/196 interchange, you probably already know today is one of those “leave early or don’t leave at all” mornings in Grand Rapids.

The ramp from westbound I-196 onto southbound US-131 is closed, and not just for a few hours. Michigan State Police say it will remain shut down indefinitely after a semi-truck crash that basically turned the interchange into a parking lot yesterday.

The driver tried to correct, but the truck slid into the ramp coming off westbound 196. It flipped, slammed into the concrete barrier, and ended up partially wedged under the ramp.

Miraculously, no other vehicles were involved.

It took rescuers about an hour to get the driver out, though MSP says he only suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. The crash shut down lanes immediately, and by afternoon MDOT had fully closed the highway in that area to deal with the wreckage.

By 8:30 last night., MSP confirmed what most drivers feared: the ramp will be closed “until a full structural inspection can be done.” So, don’t expect this to be a quick fix, currently according to the iDrive map it’s slated to take as long as April 30th to get fixed.

To make things worse, GRFD’s hazmat team had to deal with a diesel fuel spill, and cleanup is expected to take hours.

So if this ramp is part of your daily routine, today might be the day to test out your backup route (or at least give yourself some extra breathing room.)