Fair warning to all Leelanau County drivers: This week will see new traffic disruptions as part of the ongoing M-72/M-22 road rebuild at the gateway to the county.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced on Friday that its contractors “will need to close lanes and control traffic with traffic regulators (flaggers) at the M-22/Cherry Bend Road intersection in Elmwood Township two days [this] week to allow for paving.” Those closures are tentatively scheduled to take place tomorrow, Tuesday, August 5 and on Saturday, August 9, “depending on weather and work progress.” Once the paving work is complete, crews will continue into the next phase of the project, which calls for “demolition of the eastbound M-72 lanes south of the M-72/M-22 intersection.”

Drivers are cautioned to expect delays during the affected days, particularly at peak travel times.

MDOT and its contractor, Traverse City’s Team Elmer’s, have been working since March on a 2.2-mile, $25.8 million rebuild of M-72 and M-22, from Division Street in Traverse City to Cherry Bend Road in Elmwood Township. The project is scheduled to be complete by November 15, with the road slated to “fully reopen to traffic in late October,” according to MDOT.