Alternate Ways to Avoid the Annoying Construction on Bristol Road

Construction season has begun and it sucks.

For those traveling in Genesee County, construction projects are starting to emerge from their winter hibernation and have begun to slow down your commute. One such project is the road construction that just started on Bristol Road.

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For those that are unaware, Bristol Road is now smushed down to one lane in each direction between Fenton Road and Saginaw Road. Add into the equation that I-475 directly crosses that path, so at certain times of the day, the area is slammed with cars.

While driving around on Wednesday, I happened to travel west down Bristol Road when leaving work. Just after passing Bendle Middle School the two westbound lanes were filtered into one lane. As I proceeded in line, more of my soul drained from me as I realized this construction zone was going to slow me way down and that the road construction season had begun.

I am not exaggerating when I say that I was on the bridge over I-475 and was stuck there for six straight light changes without even moving. Vehicles that were turning left off of southbound Grand Traverse were continually getting stuck in the intersection and we could not move. It sucked.

So do yourself a favor if you have to travel that stretch of Bristol Road...don't. The safest bet is to take Fenton Road or Dort Highway to either Hemphill Road to the north or Maple Road to the south. It may take you a couple of extra minutes to get to where you are going, but it will more than likely be faster than running the construction gauntlet. Especially during rush hours.

Other projects in Genesee County have begun also, which may slow you down as well. Hill Road between Fenton Road and Saginaw Road will see slowdowns as well, as crews are working on the lights and other projects in the area.

Good luck and Godspeed. Try to keep the road rage to a minimum.