WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – In the wake of a frightening bridge collapse in Pennsylvania, the Local 4 Defenders reveal several Metro Detroit bridges that were supposed to be replaced months ago.
“Michigan has the heaviest truck weight limits of any state in the country. We are 60,000 pounds more than any other state that’s 30 tons,” Wayne County Commissioner Ray Basham said.
Basham said the state of our bridges keeps him up at night. From the state level to the local level, Basham has been involved in transportation issues for years. none more vital than replacing bridges around Metro Detroit.
“God bless us, I hope nothing ever happens, but we’re very vulnerable,” Basham said. “My fingers are crossed. I hope nothing happens if you look at Pennsylvania and you look at just what happened there, it’s like, it’s scary.”
Basham said funding is the main issue why bridges have not yet been replaced. Basham worries that it is a race against time.
“The one that jumps out to me of all the bridges is the Ambassador Bridge. They build them for 100 years and that’s one of the busiest in this country and one of the heaviest weights on that bridge is all the semis,” Basham said.