M-119 near Petoskey narrows to one lane Oct. 21–23 as MDOT drills soil borings north of Beach Road

PETOSKEY, Mich. — Drivers on M-119 in Emmet County should expect one-lane traffic and temporary signals next week while state crews drill soil borings north of Beach Road, the Michigan Department of Transportation said Wednesday.

The work is scheduled to start Wednesday, Oct. 21, weather permitting, and is expected to wrap up by Friday, Oct. 23, according to MDOT’s North Region office in Gaylord. Petoskey is the closest community, the department said.

Crews will close one lane at a time. Temporary traffic signals will send traffic through the work zone in alternating directions.

MDOT said the soil samples will help it plan a possible future project addressing high water near the Beach Road intersection. The department did not announce a construction date or cost for that work.

M-119 is the main state route between the Petoskey area and Harbor Springs. Drivers heading that way during the three-day window may want to allow extra time.

Questions about the work can go to James Lake, MDOT’s North Region media representative, at 989-731-5090.

Sources:
Michigan Department of Transportation, “M-119 lane closures start Oct. 21 for soil borings in Emmet County,” Oct. 14, 2026, https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2026/10/14/m-119-lane-closures-start-oct-21-for-soil-borings-in-emmet-county
Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri, “2009-0619-TunnelofTrees.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0619-TunnelofTrees.jpg

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