On
September 12, 2007, members of the Washtenaw County Road
Commission, along with a hired consultant from HH Engineering,
gathered for an evening meeting at the Scio Township Hall to
provide area residents with an update on the rehabilitation of the
East Delhi Road Bridge over the Huron River, located in
Section 2 of Scio Township. Approximately 24 local officials and
residents were in attendance.
Road Commission staff, Roy Townsend, County Highway Engineer, and Kelly Jones, Bridge Engineer, hosted the two-hour long meeting. Al Halbeisen, with HH Engineering, was also present as the Design Consultant hired by the Road Commission to generate the rehabilitation plans for the estimated 100+ year old bridge.
Townsend
began the meeting with a bit of history on the project, stating
that Road Commission staff, Scio Township Officials and members of
the East Delhi Conservancy had met on numerous occasions over the
past two years to discuss the specifics of this rehabilitation
initiative. Townsend also reported that state funding for this
project was obtained through the Local Bridge Program (LBP), which
is administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).
“Typically, Local Bridge Program funds cannot be used for rehabilitation projects,” explained Townsend. “But the East Delhi Road Bridge project is the first in the state of Michigan to utilize these funds for the rehabilitation of a one-lane bridge,” Townsend said.
The bridge project, which will begin sometime during the summer of 2008, will include the rehabilitation of the existing 19-ft. wide x 106-ft. long steel truss, new abutments with 30-ft. long wingwalls, and the installation of new traffic signals at each end of the bridge – a safety requirement for the rehabilitation of a one-lane bridge for two-way traffic, mandated in order to receive Local Bridge Program funds. The bridge will also include many context sensitive designed aesthetics, such as natural field stone used for riprap (rocks placed along riverbed to reduce soil erosion), textured concrete abutments, and colored concrete surface sealer. The rehabilitated truss will also be repainted to match the existing color as closely as possible. In addition, some minor approach work will be required at the bridge, and new guardrails will be installed.
Estimated total cost to rehabilitate the bridge is $1 million; plus an additional $60,000 for preliminary design and construction engineering, and $120,000 for construction oversight costs, such as materials testing, inspection costs (to ensure the bridge is built to federal and state standards), and permit fees. Funding for the bridge is being covered by the Local Bridge Program (95%), with Scio Township, the East Delhi Conservancy, and the Road Commission covering the remaining portion.
Townsend reported that the anticipated timeline will include a bid-letting in April or May 2008, with an anticipated start date of July 2008. The rehabilitation work will require complete closure of the bridge to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic throughout the duration of the project; currently only pedestrian traffic is permitted to use the bridge since its closure in June 2005. The project is expected to be completed in November 2008.
The
citizens were assured by the Road Commission that emergency
services, school bus services, U.S. Mail and parcel deliveries,
and refuse pickup will continue to be maintained as it is
currently, throughout the project duration, as will access to
driveways for local residents.
Following the brief presentation by Townsend, citizens were provided the opportunity to ask questions of Road Commission staff and the design consultant, to review current plans and a scaled model of the bridge.
Contacts
To obtain additional information on this bridge project, 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.