Transportation: other; road construction projects that shut down all lanes of a road; prohibit. Amends sec. 1 of 1917 PA 165 (MCL 247.291).

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Alicia St. Germaine and 5 co-sponsors

Restricts full closure of sole-access highways/bridges; requires alternatives or partial access unless work is strictly necessary and no feasible option, reopening asap.

bill electronically reproduced 06/17/2025

#stateagencies(existing):transportation #transportation:other

Overview / Purpose

House Bill 4656 amends section 1 of 1917 PA 165 (MCL 247.291) to limit when highway officials may completely close a highway or bridge that serves as the only motor vehicle access into or out of a community. The bill preserves existing authority to close roads for construction, improvement, or repair, but adds protections to avoid entirely cutting off communities except in narrowly defined circumstances.

Key provisions

Reaffirms existing authority for officials in charge of highway construction/repair to close highways or portions of highways, subject to section 1a and the act’s existing requirements (detours, signs, barriers, lights, removal of signage, and penalties).

New restriction: Except as provided below, a highway or bridge may not be closed entirely to traffic into and out of a community if either:

it is the community’s only highway access/exit; or
the community’s only alternative access/exit is regularly closed because of railroad crossings.

Exception: Full closure of such a road/bridge is permitted if the closure is strictly necessary for construction, improvement, or repairs and no feasible method exists to allow traffic during work. Any full closure under this exception:

may last only as long as necessary; and
requires the work to be completed expediently and in a manner that reopens at least a portion of the highway or bridge as soon as possible.

Continues requirement that barriers be erected at ends and intersections of closed highways before closure.

Who is affected

State and local highway authorities (e.g., MDOT, county road commissions, municipal road departments) and the contractors they hire will need to consider and document alternatives before fully closing sole-access roads.

Communities that rely on a single highway or bridge for ingress/egress (including small towns, island communities, or areas with limited access) will be protected from prolonged total closures.

Emergency services, schools, businesses, commuters, and freight operators in affected communities may see fewer or shorter full closures.

Potentially increases planning or construction costs if temporary access measures (detours, temporary bridges, phasing) are required.

Potential impacts

Reduces risk of isolating communities by requiring officials to avoid full closures when alternatives or traffic accommodation are feasible.

May impose additional logistical, scheduling, or expense burdens on agencies and contractors to maintain partial access or develop alternative access arrangements.

Provides a statutory standard (necessity and infeasibility) for when a sole-access route may be fully closed, which could influence permitting, project design, and dispute resolution.

Legislative status / timeline (selected)

Filed: March 12, 2025

First reading: April 3, 2025

Subcommittee hearing and testimony: April 22, 2025

Committee substitute reported favorably as substituted: April 28, 2025

Placed on General State Calendar: May 11, 2025; laid on table subject to call: May 14, 2025

Electronically reproduced / introduced by Rep. Joseph Pavlov: June 17, 2025

Referred to Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: June 17, 2025

Companion bill: SB 2052

This summary describes the bill’s substantive changes to MCL 247.291 as introduced; final text or scope could change during committee or floor consideration.

Bill