Lansing, MI – On Aug 1st, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the final five bridges set to be fixed under her Rebuilding Our Bridges program are scheduled to begin this?month. The bridges include Sand Creek Highway over River Raisin in Lenawee County, Iosco Road over Red Cedar River in Livingston County, Dollarville Road over Teaspoon Creek in Luce County, 26 Mile Road Bridge over Clinton River in Macomb County, and Nottawa Road over Prairie River in St. Joseph County.  

“Together, we are moving dirt to fix roads and bridges across Michigan to keep drivers safe and save them time and money," said?Governor Whitmer. "Since I took office through the end of this year, 89,000 hardworking Michiganders will have fixed over 16,000 lane miles of road and 1,200 bridges. This summer, we have completed seven bridge projects, with five more starting this month. We are setting up orange barrels at record pace as we make the largest investment in state roads and bridges in Michigan's history.?Let's?keep fixing our roads with the right mix and materials, so they stay fixed.  I’m proud of what we have accomplished, so let’s roll up our sleeves and keep getting things done." 

“The bridge bundling program was a great resource for the department as it strives for a sustainable balance of bridge replacement, improvements and preventive maintenance to limit the number of bridges that slip into poor, serious or critical condition,” said Adam Newton, project engineer for the Macomb County Department of Roads (MCDR). "Having a few of the bridge superstructures that are in critical condition replaced within the bridge bundle pilot project has given the MCDR an opportunity to focus on implementing a mix of fixes for the remainder of our bridge inventory with traditional resources and funding.” 

To date, seven projects in the Rebuilding Our Bridges program are now largely finished, with work on seven others nearing completion. Of the five projects starting this month, two projects are starting Aug 1st, with the final three set to begin later this month.  

All bridges encompassed by the Rebuilding Our Bridges program will be completed and reopened to traffic within 60 or 90 days from the start of repairs. The remaining bridges, along with scheduled start dates and contracted length of the project, are: 

The governor’s Rebuilding Our Bridges program, the first of its kind in Michigan, is repairing 19 bridges in serious or critical condition that are owned by local agencies. Each bridge will have its superstructure replaced, which includes full removal and replacement of the bridge deck and supporting beams. An online dashboard at?Michigan.gov/BridgeBundling?provides project updates and shows percent completion, detour routes, and other information for each project.  

Completed Bridges:

Mason Road Bridge  

The Mason Road bridge over the south branch of the Shiawassee River in Livingston County was the most recent bridge to be repaired. While bridge work finished on Thursday, the road will not reopen to traffic immediately. MDOT and Livingston County have collaborated, allowing the county road commission to take advantage of the bridge closure to start a road project. The road and bridge will remain closed until around October 1, when the county’s project is completed. Delaying the reopening, at the county’s request, will reduce inconvenience for stakeholders by condensing two potential closures into one tighter timeframe. 

"Mason Road is a vital connector for numerous areas in the county.  It also serves as an alternate route if I-96 is closed for any reason, making the condition of the bridge very important,” said Steve Wasylk, managing director of the Livingston County Road Commission. “Prior to construction, we had reduced loading on the bridge and numerous holes in the deck. Having this bridge included in the Bridge Bundling Pilot was a tremendous benefit to be able fix the bridge with no impacts to our budget."   

Rebuilding Our Bridges Program Phase II:

As part of Phase II of the Rebuilding Our Bridges program, $196 million in federal COVID relief funds appropriated by Governor Whitmer and the legislature will allow the state to fix 59 more bridges beginning later this year. 

A list of the Phase II bridges, which were prioritized based on regional mobility and safety, is available?here. Phase II focuses on closed and load-posted bridges. Some will be permanently removed while others will be fully replaced. 

The Mason Road bridge over the south branch of the Shiawassee River in Livingston County is shown under construction earlier this summer. The bridge, one of 19 to be repaired under the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) bridge bundling pilot project, was completed last week. (Photo courtesy of RS&H) 

The Mason Road bridge over the south branch of the Shiawassee River in Livingston County, one of 19 to be repaired under the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) bridge bundling pilot project, was completed last week. The bridge will remain closed to traffic until October, at the county’s request, while a county road project is under way. (Photo courtesy of RS&H)