ZEELAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Mar. 29, 2022) – The stretch of highway that some say should be called the “Roger Victory Way” is getting a long-needed overhaul.
Today, from 4 to 5:30 PM at the Howard Miller Library and Community Center in Zeeland, representatives of the Michigan Department of Transportation and contractors will be on hand to discuss a $66 million, seven-mile rebuild of I-196, from the 32nd Avenue exit in Hudsonville to the Byron Road/Business 196 exit east of Zeeland. The two-year-long project will include new east and westbound lanes, culvert replacement, sewer and drainage improvements, and bridge work.
Crews are currently clearing out trees in order to conduct the needed culvert work. According to MDOT officials, work begins in mid-April on the westbound lanes, with all traffic shifted to the eastbound lanes, and a similar shift for rebuilding the eastbound lanes set for next year. If past experience in reconstructing I-196 east and west of this section is any indicator, the work should last through mid-fall.
This stretch of I-196 gained some notoriety several years ago when Victory, a current Republican State Senator from Hudsonville, said in an appearance on “WHTC Talk of the Town” that he was driving westbound towards Holland when he hit a pothole on the highway, causing him to spill his coffee on his white dress shirt. Victory, who was a state House Representative at the time, related the experience to MDOT officials, who then posted “rough road” signs on either side of this stretch ahead of repaving the roadway in what was intended to be a temporary fix.
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