MDOT is planning a big reconstruction project on a busy stretch of highway in Benton Harbor and Benton Township next year.

The work will impact 4.5 miles of M-139 in the area of Fairplain Plaza up to I-94.

WSJM reports the segment from Pipestone Road to Main Street next year, and Fairplain to Pipestone in 2027. This will change the flow of traffic on part of M-139 north of Pipestone, turning it into a two-way road from Empire to East Main.

The $31 million MDOT project isn’t expected to fully close M-139, and should begin in the spring.