On Wednesday, May 16, 2007, the Board of County Road Commissioners held a Ribbon-Cutting/Reopening Ceremony to mark the official completion of the construction of the new Wilbur Road Bridge, located between Clinton Road and Hogan Road, in Bridgewater Township. The informal half-hour ceremony took place at 11:30 a.m. on the new bridge.
Those in attendance were Board of County Road Commissioners Wesley Prater (Chair), Fred Veigel (Vice-Chair), and David Rutledge (Member). Road Commission staff included Steve Puuri, Managing Director; Roy Townsend, County Highway Engineer; Aaron Berkholz, Construction Supervisor and the Project Manager on this bridge replacement project; and Kelly Jones, Design Engineer; Jason Knight, Construction Technician; Brian Shorkey, Transportation Planner; Val Cooper, Public Information Officer; John Posegay, Assistant Permits Coordinator; and Amy Edwards, Engineering Secretary. The contractor hired by the Road Commission to complete the bridge replacement project, Laverne Luft, with SL & H Contractors, Inc. was also present.
(left to right): Roy Townsend, County Highway Engineer: two area residents, Wesley Prater, Road Commissioner; Shelly Pike, Bridgewater Township Treasurer; Jolea Mull, Bridgewater Township Supervisor; Amy Riley, Bridgewater Township Trustee; Jessica Ping Mills, Washtenaw County Commissioner; Sadie Smith (5-year old); Fred Veigel, Road Commissioner; young boy, Laverne Luft, SH&L Contractors, Inc.; Patty Swaney; Steve Puuri, Managing Director; and Aaron Berkholz, Design Supervisor / Project Manager.
Local officials at the ceremony were Ms. Jessica Ping Mills, Washtenaw County Commissioner, District 3; Jolea Mull, Bridgewater Township Supervisor; Shelly Pike, Bridgewater Township Treasurer; Amy Riley, Bridgewater Township Trustee; Russell Lutton, Bridgewater Township Roads Committee; and Julie Knight, Dexter Township Treasurer.
Over twenty area residents also participated in the reopening and dedication ceremony, some of whom included: Patty and Bill Swaney, Jim Fish, William and Norma Every, Richard Fisk, Sadie Smith (5 years old), Gary Corwin, Ron McLennan, Charles and Joanne Schiel, Barbara and Cameron Cook, Pearlene Jordan, Ruth Green (former Bridgewater Township resident), Gerald and Mary Shaw, John Hauck, Kim Ricket, and Steve Halchishal.
Last September, the Road Commission closed the old Wilbur Road Bridge located in a wooded area southwest of Manchester, to begin work on its removal and to make way for the construction of a new, two-lane bridge and associated road improvements.
The original Wilbur Road Bridge over the River Raisin was a double-truss, single-story ”Bailey“ structure reportedly reconstructed in 1953, after it collapsed when an overweight fuel truck attempted to cross. A bridge inspection in 1983 revealed some structural deterioration in the steel stringers and timber deck, and it was closed in November of that same year until repairs could be made.
In 1984, the bridge was reopened after receiving a new timber deck and steel stringers; however, based on the bridge inspection results and a weight restriction of 9 tons that also had to be imposed at that time, the Road Commission submitted its first of many applications for grant funding from the Critical Bridge Fund through the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).
While awaiting funding approval from MDOT, the Road Commission monitored and conducted annual inspections of the bridge over the next 20 years, which continued to develop serious structural and safety deficiencies, ultimately resulting in another imposed weight restriction to 3 tons. Consequently, in April 2000, the Road Commission again applied for - and at this time was approved to receive a grant award for the bridge replacement through MDOT’s Local Bridge Program (formerly the Critical Bridge Program).
It was shortly after receiving this funding award that the Road Commission initiated an Environmental Assessment (July 2000). The Environmental Assessment process took some time to complete and included the preparation of a Memorandum of Agreement between Bridgewater Township, the Road Commission, MDOT, the State Historic Preservation Office and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Ultimately, a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was issued by the FHWA in July 2005.
Based on the strong public interest expressed in this crossing of the River Raisin, the Road Commission began working closely with Bridgewater Township officials and local residents to develop a new bridge design, utilizing context sensitive design techniques that would blend in well with the rural settings along the unpaved Wilbur Road. It was decided that the new 26-foot wide bridge would include a timber railing system and the application of a surface texture to the concrete foundations (abutments) would have an aesthetic stone appearance.
When the bridge replacement work began in September 2006, the first step was to remove the existing structure. The original bridge was painstakingly dismantled and salvaged. It was purchased by an individual with the intent of using the bridge in a public setting. After its removal, the bridge was relocated to Hillsdale County, near the Michigan/Indiana/Ohio borders.
Construction of the new bridge began immediately thereafter. The project was expected to be completed by December 2006, and even though the contractor hired by the Road Commission, SL&H Contractors, Inc., was able to cast the concrete deck for the new bridge, because of a number of delays last year due to above-average precipitation in Michigan, the Road Commission was forced to put the project on hold during the 2007 winter months until it could be resumed in the spring. Once the suspension of the seasonal (springtime) weight restrictions was lifted by the Road Commission on April 9, 2007, the contractor was able to complete the remaining road approaches and other landscaping work.
”This has been a very rewarding project in that it provided a great opportunity for the Road Commission to work together with local officials, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the State Historic Preservation Office, and area residents; for without everyone’s spirit of cooperation and compromise, and financial assistance, the completion of this important road improvement would not have been possible,“ stated Roy Townsend, County Highway Engineer.
Total cost to replace the bridge was $1 million. Local Bridge Funding covered approximately $740,000 of the construction costs; the remaining monies, (5% of the construction costs, plus right-of-way acquisitions and engineering expenditures), were paid by the Washtenaw County Road Commission.
”We would especially like to thank the Bridgewater Township officials and local residents for their valuable input and assistance with this project, as well as their patience throughout the bridge construction. It is safe to say that this project’s success can be attributed to the collaborative efforts to reach a consensus among all the parties involved in order to achieve an ultimate goal - that being, to provide a sound and secure structure that will well serve the local residents and motoring public for many, many years to come,“ concluded Townsend.
To obtain additional information on this bridge replacement project, contact the Project Manager, Aaron Berkholz, Construction Supervisor, at 734.327.6682, or via email at berkholza@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.