What: Ribbon-Cutting/Re-Opening Ceremony for the new Wilbur Road Bridge over the River Raisin
When: Wednesday, May 16, 2007, from 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 Noon
Where: On the new Wilbur Road Bridge, located between Clinton Road and Hogan Road in Section 20 of Bridgewater Township
Why: This dedication ceremony will mark the official completion and reopening of the new Wilbur Road Bridge
Background
Last September, the Road Commission closed the old Wilbur Road Bridge located in a wooded area southwest of Manchester, to begin work on its removal and to make way for the construction of a new, two-lane bridge and associated road improvements.
When the bridge replacement work began in September 2006, the first step was to remove the existing structure. The original bridge was painstakingly dismantled and salvaged. It was purchased by an individual with the intent of using the bridge in a public setting. After its removal, the bridge was relocated to Hillsdale County, near the Michigan/Indiana/Ohio borders.
Construction of the new bridge began immediately thereafter. The project was expected to be completed by December 2006, and even though the contractor hired by the Road Commission, SL&H Contractors, Inc., was able to cast the concrete deck for the new bridge, because of a number of delays last year due to above-average precipitation in Michigan, the Road Commission was forced to put the project on hold during the 2007 winter months until it could be resumed in the spring. Once the suspension of the seasonal (springtime) weight restrictions was lifted by the Road Commission on April 9, 2007, the contractor was able to complete the remaining road approaches and other landscaping work.
Total cost to replace the bridge was $1 million. Local Bridge Funding covered approximately $740,000 of the construction costs; the remaining monies, (5% of the construction costs, plus right-of-way acquisitions and engineering expenditures), were paid by the Washtenaw County Road Commission.
Contact
To obtain additional information on this bridge replacement project, contact the Project Manager, Aaron Berkholz, Construction Supervisor, at 734.327.6682, or Val Cooper, Public Information Officer, Washtenaw County Road Commission, 734.327.6675.