ZEELAND, Mich. — Today, the Byron Road Bridge reopened for traffic over the Black River in Zeeland, as Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the conclusion to its repairing.
As part of the Michigan Department of Transportation's (MDOT) Rebuilding MI Bridges program, Byron Road Bridge is the fifth to be fixed this year.
"The reopening of the Byron Road bridge is something for drivers in Ottawa County to celebrate. Thanks to our hard work, we are moving dirt to fix roads and bridges across Michigan to keep drivers safe and save them time and money," said Whitmer.
Whitmer and the MDOT's plan is to fix over 16,000 lane miles of road and more than 1,200 bridges, supporting 89,000 jobs. The improvements are part of a bipartisan bill she signed last year, which will work to fix infrastructure and 59 additional bridges across the state with materials to keep them in tact.
"The bridge bundling program has been a very collaborative effort between MDOT, local agency bridge owners, and other stakeholders, especially for this key bridge crossing in Ottawa County," said Managing director of the Ottawa County Road Commission Brett Laughlin.
In addition, Laughlin acknowledges the vitalness the program has to residential and commercial use, and hopes the legislation will continue to progress in combating the state's infrastructure problem with efficient economic solution.
Rebuilding MI Bridges Project Updates:
Six bridge bundling projects had begun back in March and April, and five of them are now complete. There will be several local agency bridges repaired this month as the project continues. Any bridge repair will have a 60 to 90 day window to be completed and reopen to the public.
- Repairs on the Mason Road bridge over the south branch of the Shiawassee River in Livingston County began May 31.
- Rebuilding of the Tallman Road bridge over the Maple River in Clinton County is set to begin Monday.
Both the Five Point Highway Bridge in Eaton County, and Maple Island Road Bridge will begin their repairs on June 15, taking approximately 60 days each. Nottawa Road Bridge in St. Joseph County construction has an August 15 start date, set to take around 90 days. There are eight more bridges to be fixed across West Michigan and the state combined.
Rebuilding MI Bridges Program Phase II:
$196 million in federal COVID relief funds appropriated by Whitmer and the Legislature will permit the state to execute Phase II of the bridge bundling program, starting later this year to address 59 more bridges.
There is a list of Phase II bridges to be prioritized based on regional mobility and safety. The phase focuses on closed and load-posted bridges. Some will be permanently removed while others fully replaced.
About the Rebuilding MI Bridges Program:
The program is the first of its kind in Michigan, and the pilot project is funded by Federal Highway Improvement Program (HIP) dollars. MDOT bridge staff and consultants are doing preliminary design and construction administration work for the bridge bundling program.
MDOT expects "bridge bundling, which covers several bridge locations under one contract, to streamline coordination and permitting, increase economies of scale, and improve bridge conditions on local routes around the state. MDOT is working to expand the approach, already in use on state trunkline projects, to address locally owned bridges."
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