It's a mess if you're traveling Gratiot around downtown Mt. Clemens. Believe it or not, road crews are adding a bicycle lane. What is this, Ann Arbor? Work is going slow as the heavy rains of May slowed progress on many road projects. Little Mack in Roseville and Harper in St. Clair Shores should be avoided. I thought those roads were fine to begin with. But if the money is there to spend, the road crews will gladly do the work. Does the government still operate in a way that if you don't use available money for infrastructure projects, then the next year you won't be allocated any additional money?

You want revenge on road projects? Head on out to those former pylon-encrusted roads that used to drive you crazy and enjoy the new, smooth asphalt. Nine Mile Road, Masonic, Gratiot around 15 Mile Road, etc. All of those stretches are beautiful. It almost brings a tear to your eye as your car purrs down the road with absolutely no hard-hatted men in sight.

The work continues on I-696, lovingly known as The Ditch.

In Macomb, ongoing bridge work will require two-lane closures during overnight hours on eastbound and westbound I-696 between Van Dyke Avenue and Schoenherr Road. The lane closures will begin Thursday, June 2, at 9 p.m. and end by 5 a.m. Friday morning.

Beginning at 5 a.m. and ending by 5 p.m. on Saturday, the right lane of eastbound I-696 will be closed from Hoover to Bunert roads for ongoing construction. The entrance ramp from Hoover to eastbound I-696 also will be closed.