Niles Mayor Nick Shelton was brutally honest in his prediction for traffic around the city in a post to social media saying, “This is not going to be pretty.”
On Wednesday, the Michigan Department of Transportation closed M51 to southbound traffic from Oak Street in Niles all the way down to Highway 12.
Along that stretch, there is one lane open to cars going north. Those traveling south from Niles need to use 3rd Street or take Oak Street to Main Street and turn onto Highway 12.
MDOT says the construction will last a month and is part of the larger $27 million project to replace the interchange at the intersection of M51 and US 12.
Crews have done some curb and sidewalk work on M51 already but the main road will be replaced in the coming month.
