The
Washtenaw County Road Commission has completed the replacement of
the Case Road Culvert over the Saline/Bridgewater Drain,
located between Michigan Avenue (US-12) and Willow Road in Saline
Township. An Operations Department crew began work on October 8 to
replace the old culvert, which was closed following a routine
inspection in July; the closure was imposed due to its severe
deterioration and failed condition. The work was completed within
two days, and this segment of Case Road was reopened for early
morning traffic on October 10.
The
old 72-inch diameter culvert was replaced with an 84-inch diameter
x 95-ft long corrugated steel pipe (csp) culvert, which can carry
all legal loads, including school buses, fire trucks, and farm
equipment.
The Case Road Culvert is one of seven short-span bridges and culverts in Washtenaw County that the Road Commission was forced to close immediately upon biennial bridge inspections this summer, which revealed severe deterioration and structural failure of the structures. The bridge inspector hired by the Road Commission, Scott Civil Engineering of Grand Rapids, recommended that the Road Commission impose immediate closures of the seven structures for the safety of the motoring public.
On August 7, 2007, the Board of County Road Commissioners approved an allocation of up to $800,000 to replace or repair all seven of the structures, although the Road Commission remains financially challenged due to statewide transportation funding shortages.
“Our Board has deemed it absolutely essential to maintain and keep open to the motoring public our Washtenaw County bridges, culverts and roadways,” stated Steve Puuri, Managing Director.
“And because state and federal grant funding through the Local Bridge Program cannot be acquired for bridges or culverts under 20-feet in length, the Board had to authorize the $800,000 from the Road Commission’s reserve discretionary funds to replace these seven structures, as well as the Schleweis Road culvert located in Manchester Township,” Puuri explained.
Between
July 3 and 18, for the safety of the motoring public, the Road
Commission closed the Willow Road and Case Road culverts,
both in Saline Township, the Bethel Church Road Bridge in
Lodi Township, the Liberty Road Bridge in Lima Township,
the Waters Road Bridge in Freedom Township, the Seven
Mile Road Bridge in Salem Township, the Harris Road Bridge
in Superior Township. A portion of the allocation authorized by
the Board will also cover the costs to replace the
Schleweis Road Culvert in Manchester Township that was
removed from the road system in 1989.
Since receiving the funding approval, the Operations Department has been steadily replacing the closed bridges and culverts. The old Seven Mile Road Bridge, between Currie Road and Chubb Road, was the first to be replaced at the end of August. This short-span bridge, estimated to be about 50 to 60 years old, was replaced with a new 6-ft. diameter x 40-ft long culvert.
In addition, work crews have completed the culvert replacement on Willow Road, between Michigan Avenue (US-12) and Case Road. The 50-year old deteriorated Willow Road Culvert over the Saline and Bridgewater Drain was replaced with a new 84-inch diameter by 70-ft long culvert, and Willow Road was reopened to traffic on September 14.
Next on the replacement list are the two short-span bridges on Bethel Church Road in Lodi Township and Waters Road Bridge in Freedom Township. The remaining bridges will be replaced or repaired in 2008.
"We anticipate being able to complete the Bethel Church Road and Waters Road bridge deck replacements by the end of November,” said Jim Harmon, Director of Operations.
“The specially-treated timber decks have been ordered and are being fabricated by Krenn Bridge Company, out of Vicksburg, Michigan. We expect delivery of the decks by mid-November and our Operations crew will complete the installations as soon as possible thereafter.”
“We are pleased that our Operations Department has been able to address a number of these bridge replacements so quickly this year, and we want to extend our thanks to the public for their patience and cooperation as these necessary improvements to the county road system were being completed,” concluded Puuri.
Contacts
If you have any questions concerning this project, please contact Ed Reed, Superintendent of Maintenance, at (734) 327-6680, or via email at reede@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.