What: Ribbon-cutting/Reopening Ceremony for the new Whittaker Road Bridge
When: Friday, October 5, 2007, at 2:30 p.m.
Where: To be held on the new Whittaker Road Bridge over the west branch of Paint Creek, between Willis Road and Judd Road in Augusta Township
Why: To commemorate the completion of the first of two Whittaker Road Bridge replacement projects
Background
On Friday, October 5, 2007, at 2:30 p.m., the Board of County Road Commissioners will hold a “Ribbon-Cutting/Reopening Ceremony” to commemorate the completion of the first of two Whittaker Road Bridge replacement projects. The first bridge to be completed is located between Willis Road and Judd Road in Augusta Township; the second bridge (still under construction) is located in Ypsilanti Township.
This brief dedication ceremony will be held on the new Whittaker Road Bridge in Augusta Township.
The Road Commission expects to officially reopen the Augusta Township Whittaker Road Bridge to the motoring public by Monday, October 8, 2007, weather dependent. (It is anticipated that the Ypsilanti Township Whittaker Road Bridge will be completed by mid-November 2007.)
A full closure of the Whittaker Road Bridge over the west branch of Paint Creek in Sections 9 and 10 of Augusta Township was imposed by the Road Commission on June 4, 2007. This closure was implemented to maintain safety within the construction zone while the bridge replacement was underway. The old bridge, built in 1932, carried a weight restriction of 20 tons – 25 tons – 32 tons (for I, II, III unit vehicles), and was listed in critical condition following a routine bridge inspection in May 2005. The old bridge deck was 27.9 feet wide and spanned 28.9 feet in length.
Based on the deteriorated state of the old bridge, the Road Commission applied for and received state funding through the Local Bridge Program, administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation, to replace the aging structure.
The deck width of the new bridge is 40-feet (clear roadway width); that is, two lanes @ 12-feet/each and two paved shoulders @ 8-feet. The new bridge, which spans 55-feet over the west branch of Paint Creek, is a concrete box beam structure with a concrete deck and concrete open-parapet style bridge rail; it can carry all legal highway loads.
The public is invited to attend this informal dedication and reopening ceremony.
Contacts
If you have any questions concerning this project, please contact Aaron Berkholz, Construction Supervisor, at (734) 327-6682, or via email at berkholza@wcroads.org.
If you require assistance with media information, please contact Val Cooper, Public Information Officer, at (734) 327-6675 or via email at: cooperv@wcroads.org.