News · Royal Oak
Westbound I-696 is open again past Royal Oak, but eastbound stays closed into late 2026
ROYAL OAK, Mich. — Drivers heading west on I-696 through Royal Oak have their freeway back. Eastbound drivers still have a detour.
The Michigan Department of Transportation reopened westbound I-696 between I-75 and M-10 on Oct. 11, along with its entrance and exit ramps, as part of the Restore the Reuther rebuild, according to the project's Driving Oakland site. The last two westbound ramps near Royal Oak, the exit to Woodward Avenue and the entrance from Campbell and Hilton roads, opened Oct. 16.
Eastbound I-696 between M-10 and I-75 stays closed through late 2026. The posted detour is southbound M-10 to eastbound M-8 (Davison) to northbound I-75. All eastbound ramps in that stretch, including Woodward and Campbell/Hilton, are closed, as are the ramps from eastbound I-696 to I-75.
Some local closures remain. The Church Street bridge over I-696 is closed through late 2026. On the 10 Mile Road service drives at Woodward, eastbound traffic keeps two lanes during bridge deck patching and signal work, and westbound lanes are restricted for structure, signal and paving work.
Next year, work moves east, to I-696 between I-75 and Dequindre. MDOT says the freeway will stay open during that phase.
MDOT's project office can be reached at 248-930-1777, and updates are posted at DrivingOakland.com.
Sources:
Driving Oakland (MDOT), “I-696 Restore the Reuther (Phase 2),” updated Oct. 20, 2026, https://drivingoakland.com/i696-east/
CBS Detroit, “Westbound I-696 lanes back open; eastbound lanes expected to reopen by end of 2026,” October 2026, https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/westbound-i-696-lanes-open/
Oakland County Journal, “Road work Oct. 16-23: Woodward exit off westbound I-696 reopens,” Oct. 16, 2026, https://oaklandcountyjournal.com/articles/road-closures-oakland-county-oct-16-23
WXYZ, “'Everything is under construction all the time': WB I-696 lanes and exits open,” October 2026, https://www.wxyz.com/news/everything-is-under-construction-all-the-time-westbound-i-696-lanes-and-exits-open
Photo: Karen Breen-Bondie from Ferndale, Michigan, USA, “Interstate 696 and M-1 aerial.jpg,” Oct. 6, 2007, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interstate_696_and_M-1_aerial.jpg
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