GROSSE ILE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the final permits for the Grosse Ile bridge repairs and construction is expected to begin this month.
The May 2020 bridge closure was meant to provide more permanent repairs, which the township says are needed to increase the life expectancy of the 90-year-old bridge and to also lift its current weight restrictions.
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State and local government filed approval permits on Wednesday, allowing the Army Corps to finalize the approval process on Thursday. Officials announced Friday that pier restoration work on the bridge will begin on June 14.
The bridge manages about 75% of traffic to the island of Grosse Ile and has been closed for more than a year. This has left the 10,000 residents with just one toll bridge option to get on and off the island.
READ: ‘Severe erosion’ to keep Grosse Ile Parkway Bridge closed until fall 2021, maybe later
“Residents of Grosse Ile have been waiting too long for repairs to begin on the Grosse Ile Bridge.
Today’s Army Corps of Engineers permit approval is an important and necessary last step for those repairs to begin. This approval means that construction on the Bridge repairs should begin as soon as possible. We will remain vigilant to support these efforts until these repairs begin, are completed, and the Bridge is reopened.”
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12)
The bridge is expected to reopen for public use in the fall of 2021, according to Wayne County.