The road you drive every day is about to change

Traffic on M-37 through Caledonia shifts into a new construction phase on Monday, June 1, as the Michigan Department of Transportation begins the most visible work yet on a $50 million project to rebuild nearly three miles of the highway into a four-lane boulevard.

The project will transform M-37, also known as Broadmoor Avenue and Cherry Valley Road, from south of 92nd Street to north of 76th Street. The effort is expected to be complete by mid-September 2027, according to MDOT officials.

What is changing on M-37

MDOT is extending the existing boulevard design that currently ends north of 76th Street all the way down to 92nd Street. The rebuilt road will feature:

• Four-lane boulevard configuration
• Michigan Left turn lanes
• New traffic signals
• Pedestrian paths

"We don't often get to build new alignment on new roadways," said Art Green, manager of the MDOT Grand Rapids Transportation Service Center. "This is not necessarily a completely new roadway, but we are building a brand new boulevard section. So, in a way, the function of the road is going to change from how it was before and we get to expand it."

Green said the project represents roughly five years of planning and design work that began around 2021.

What Caledonia drivers need to know this month

Construction will enter a more active phase as Caledonia Public School lets out for the summer on Friday, June 5. The following Saturday, June 6, brings a significant closure.

84th Street east of M-37, including the Cherry Valley intersection, will close for two months, according to Thomas Sabin, projects and contract manager at the Grand Rapids Transportation Service Center.

"That will be when we will be rebuilding that intersection in conjunction with the other work on M-37," Sabin said.

The 84th Street and Cherry Valley work is being done in partnership with the Kent County Road Commission. Officials said they plan to tie the new 84th Street back into the northbound M-37 by mid-August. A new traffic signal will be installed at the 84th Street and Cherry Valley intersection, and grade improvements will reduce a hill on the east side to improve sight distance.

How traffic will be managed

MDOT said M-37 will remain open during construction, with lane closures, flagging, and total closures at certain intersections.

"We're investing a lot to try to maintain the northbound and southbound M-37 traffic throughout construction by building it part width," Sabin said. "Northbound will be built first, then we're going to build southbound the following year."

Addison Bailey, an assistant construction engineer with the Grand Rapids Transportation Service Center, addressed concerns raised by residents at a public open house on May 6 at Caledonia Township Hall.

"Some of the concerns are the detours and putting additional traffic on side roads," Bailey said. "We explained the additional traffic should be the same amount of traffic because those specific detours are just for people wanting to go through that intersection. We will be maintaining one lane in each direction at all times."

About 40 residents attended the May 6 open house, where organizers fielded questions about detours, access to homes and businesses, and the project timeline.

The two-year plan

MDOT outlined the project in two phases:

• Year one (2026): Construction of the new northbound M-37 roadway from 92nd Street to just past the Emmons Lake Drain. This includes the 84th Street and Cherry Valley intersection work and retaining wall widening.
• Year two (2027): Reconstruction of the existing southbound M-37 roadway from 76th Street to 92nd Street, completing the boulevard concept and finishing remaining east-side 84th Street work.

Motorists can check for traffic updates during construction at Michigan.gov/Drive.

"We're going to be able to expand the facility and change and implement a much safer operation out here for the long term as well as accommodating the greater capacity of traffic," Green said.

The project affects one of the main north-south corridors through Caledonia Township and the Village of Caledonia, connecting communities between Grand Rapids and Battle Creek.