The repair of the Iosco Road bridge over the Red Cedar River is set to begin Aug. 15, with work scheduled to last about 60 days, and work on the Mason Road bridge is wrapping up, with an estimated reopen date of Oct. 1.
The Iosco Road bridge is one of the final five bridges set to be fixed under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Rebuilding Our Bridges program. In addition to the bridge on Iosco Road, other projects include Sand Creek Highway over River Raisin in Lenawee 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 Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a release. “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 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.
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 Oct. 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.”
