New Sign in Michigan Construction Zones May Change How You Drive

There's a very old and tired joke about Michigan having two seasons, winter and road construction. It's tired because the line can apply anywhere that sees winter that causes a freeze/thaw cycle on the roads and does not allow for year-round maintenance work.

A second common Michigan construction joke has been circulating in recent years following Governor Gretchen Whitmer's famous "Fix the Damn Roads" campaign pledge. The joke goes: Yeah, fix the damn roads but not all of them at the same time.

👇🏼BELOW: Every Interstate Highway in Michigan Has Quirks - Here They Are + These Michigan Highways Come to a Complete Dead End👇🏼

A construction job planned for US-131 in Allegan County has some curious signage heading into the work zone that I'd never seen before. It instructs all drivers to:

USE ALL LANES DURING BACKUPS

The sign is clearly designed to encourage the zipper merge the practice where if a lane is ending, use both lanes right up to the point of closure.

The practice, which is widely encouraged by the Michigan Department of Transportation, and other state road agencies, has been slow to be adopted by most drivers.

You likely subscribe to the idea that if you see a sign that says 'Right Lane Closed Ahead' you'll go ahead and merge left and then curse drivers who may speed past you in the right lane while you're crawling in the left.

READ MORE: Joke About a New Interstate Across Michigan's Upper Peninsula is Actually a Brilliant Idea + No One Remembers the Michigan Turnpike Authority That Almost Built Toll Roads Across the State

But that's not actually the correct answer. If all used all available lanes and then took turns at the merge point, the process of getting to the reduced lanes actually goes quicker than everyone in a single lane before the merge point.

If it's confusing, let the road geek version of Kids Say the Darndest Things from the Missouri Department of Transportation explain

John Richard who oversees communication for the Michigan Department of Transportation for the Grand Region notes that:

Zipper merge work zones are specifically signed. We don’t use them in every work zone but they can be very effective when motorists read the signs, pay attention and work together. When traffic is heavy and slows down, it’s beneficial to use all available real estate (both lanes) so the backs ups don’t extend too far.

So while you won't see them in every work zone, the project on US 131 between Plainwell and Martin is one of the specific Zipper Merge zones.