On August 7, 2007, the Board of County Road Commissioners, approved the Second Quarter Budget and several proposed amendments, including the allocation of a “not-to-exceed” amount of $800,000 to replace or repair the seven Washtenaw County short-span bridges and culverts that were recently closed following routine biennial bridge inspections conducted by Scott Civil Engineering, the consultant hired by the Road Commission. Upon close examination of the structures, the consultant recommended to immediately close the short-span bridges and culverts due to severe deterioration and structural failure.
As a result, between July 3 and 18, 2007, for the safety of the motoring public, the Road Commission CLOSED the Seven Mile Road Bridge in Salem Township, the Harris Road Bridge in Superior Township, the Bethel Church Road Bridge in Lodi Township, the Liberty Road Bridge in Lima Township, the Waters Road Bridge in Freedom Township, and the Willow Road and Case Road culverts, both in Saline Township. A portion of the $800,000 will also cover the costs to replace the Schleweis Road Culvert in Manchester Township that was removed from the road system in 1989. (To review the latest updates on these projects, click here.)
It is anticipated that all eight structures will be replaced or repaired, and reopened to the motoring public, within the next 4 to 12 months. The first two, on Seven Mile Road and Willow Road, will be replaced before the Labor Day weekend, with the Case Road culvert replacement taking place immediately following the holiday. The remaining structures will be placed on the work scheduled as soon as permits and quotes can be obtained, and in some cases, design plans are completed.
“With our current budget constraints, allocating our scarce funding to immediately address these bridge closures was a challenging decision for our Board. However, the Commission fully recognizes the importance these structures serve on our road system and to the area residents whose access to their homes, farms, or businesses were directly impacted by these unexpected closures,” explained Steve Puuri, Managing Director. “Therefore, the Board was compelled to allocate the necessary $800,000 to replace or repair the bridges from our reserve fund balance.”
The recent closing of the seven structures and the Road Commission’s efforts to replace or repair them is just one example of the many financial challenges the agency is currently facing in trying balance the needs of the county road system with diminishing funding.
“Our Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF) revenues have been steadily decreasing since 2004 – and the rising costs of materials, equipment, and overhead is making it a challenge to continue to provide our current level of services,” Puuri said. “We anticipate having to make further cutbacks in services and projects this year, and in 2008-2009, unless additional road revenues suddenly become available.”
“Not only is the Road Commission expected to receive 2.5% less in Michigan Transportation Funds this year, but we have been advised by the Michigan Department of Transportation to anticipate another 5% decrease in our road funding for 2008! In short, the Road Commission will be running its operation with less money and higher costs of doing business,” explained Puuri.
In Washtenaw County alone, there are 111 bridges over 20-feet in length that the Road Commission must provide maintenance for and/or replace when necessary; this number does not include the hundreds of short-span bridges and culverts throughout the county that also need attention (and funding). Although structures over 20 feet can qualify for federal and state funding through the Local Bridge Program (LBP) administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), maintenance and replacement of short-span bridges and culverts (under 20-feet) are the sole responsibility of the local agency and therefore must be 100% funded through local sources, which means primarily using road commission general fund dollars obtained through the MTF.
An MDOT report indicates that statewide the total number of
county road bridges currently closed in Michigan is 106, of which
four are in Washtenaw County. (This count only includes bridges
greater than 20-feet in length and that are maintained by county
road commissions; it does not include any state-owned bridges) The
four 20-foot or greater closed bridges in Washtenaw County
include: the
Parker Road Bridge
over Mill Creek in Scio Township, the Bell Road Bridge over the Huron River in
Dexter Township, the Klinger Road Bridge over Mill Creek in Lima Township, and the
East Delhi Road Bridge
over the Huron River in Scio Township. Currently, the Parker Road Bridge replacement
project is underway and should be completed by the end of September 2007. The East
Delhi Road Bridge is slated for rehabilitation in 2008; however,
the Klinger Road Bridge and Bell Road Bridge have not received LBP
replacement funding. As of this date, there are a total of 12
bridges and culverts closed in Washtenaw County, some of which are
currently under construction.
Given the recent tragedy and unforeseeable collapse of the Interstate 35W Bridge, which failed and toppled on August 1, transportation agencies are raising their concerns that adequate bridge funding be made available to address the needs of Michigan’s bridges.
The Interstate 35W Bridge over the Mississippi River in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, was a continuous deck truss structure with
a concrete deck, a steel truss and reinforced piers. In Michigan,
there are four structures of that type: the US-2 Cut River Bridge,
M-55 Pine River Bridge, US-23 Ocqueoc River Bridge, and the M-26
Eagle River Bridge.
This video cam shot of I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapsing on August 1, 2007, was caught by a surveillance camera near the southwest corner of the bridge, overlooking the Lower Saint Anthony Falls Lock.
(This image was made available through Wikipedia, by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.)
A recent advisory issued by the MDOT Office of Communications
reported that MDOT bridge inspectors have verified that Michigan's
continuous deck truss bridges are safe. MDOT Director Kirk T.
Steudle reported that MDOT reviewed the most recent inspections of
these bridges, and sent bridge experts to re-verify the previous
findings. Their follow-up inspections conducted on August 3, 2007,
of the US-2 Cut River Bridge, the M-55 Pine River Bridge, and
US-23 Ocqueoc River Bridge showed the structures to be in good
condition and safe for all traffic. The M-26 Eagle River Bridge,
which is for pedestrian use only, was also inspected by the
Superior Region bridge engineer and inspector on August 6 to
verify its safety.
“Our Board and staff are doing all that we can to assure that Washtenaw County’s roads and bridges continue to be maintained at the level the public has come to expect. It is our hope that area residents and the motoring public will recognize the importance of our road infrastructure, as well as our imminent need for additional revenues and contact their local legislators to encourage them to support an increase in road funding,” concluded Puuri.
For more information and continual updates on these bridge replacement projects, visit the following webpage: Short-Span Bridges & Culverts.
To obtain additional information on these bridge closures and replacements, contact Kelly Jones, Bridge Engineer, at (734) 327-6647, or via email at jonesk@wcroads.org.
For questions or further information on this press release, please contact Val Cooper, Public Information Officer, Washtenaw County Road Commission, at (734) 327-6675, or via email at cooperv@wcroads.org.