What: Ribbon-Cutting/Dedication Ceremony for the new Whittaker Road Bridge
When: Friday, December 7, 2007, at 2:30 p.m.
Where: To be held on the new Whittaker Road Bridge over Paint Creek, located between Textile Road and Merritt Road in Ypsilanti Township
Why: To commemorate the completion of the second of two Whittaker Road Bridge replacement projects
Background
On Friday, December 7, 2007, at 2:30 p.m., the Board of County Road Commissioners will hold a “Ribbon-Cutting/Dedication Ceremony” to commemorate the completion of the second of two Whittaker Road Bridge replacement projects completed in 2007.
The second bridge completed is located between Textile Road and Merritt Road in Ypsilanti Township. (The first Whittaker Road Bridge, located between Willis Road and Judd Road in Augusta Township, was completed and reopened to the public on October 8, 2007.) The upcoming informal dedication ceremony will be held on the new Whittaker Road Bridge. This bridge was REOPENED to the motoring public on November 21, 2007.
A full closure of the old Whittaker Road Bridge over Paint Creek in Section 28 of Ypsilanti Township was imposed by the Road Commission on June 25, 2007. This closure was implemented to maintain safety within the construction zone while the bridge replacement was underway. The old bridge was built in 1933 and was reconstructed in 1966; it had a bridge deck of 28.2-feet wide and spanned 27.9 feet in length. The old bridge held a weight restriction of 25 tons – 32 tons – 39 tons (for I, II, III Unit vehicles), and was listed in critical condition following a routine bridge inspection in June 2005.
The new bridge, which spans 41-feet over Paint Creek, is a concrete box beam structure with a concrete deck and tube-style bridge rail; it can carry all legal highway loads. The structure also has a non-motorized path that varies from 14-feet to 15.6-feet, for a total out-to-out deck width of 59.875-feet. Additional information on the new Whittaker Road Bridge will be available at the dedication ceremony on December 7.
The public is invited to attend this informal dedication and ribbon-cutting 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.