Historic Huron River bridges near Ann Arbor closing for rehabilitation work
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - A historic bridge over the Huron River just outside Ann Arbor is reopening ahead of schedule after a rehabilitation project kept it shuttered for much of the summer.
But some outstanding construction items will result in another closure later this fall, officials said.
The Washtenaw County Road Commission closed the Maple Road Bridge, also known as the Foster Bridge, in early July, and it reopened on Wednesday, Aug. 24, according to a project advisory.
The single-lane, wrought-iron bridge, dating back to 1876, underwent a rehabilitation project in recent weeks, with crews installing a new curb and spillways to improve drainage and prevent erosion around the structure’s foundation, as well as repainting the metal bridge to extend its useful life.
A road closure for the project, which ran in tandem with similar maintenance on the nearby East Delhi Road Bridge, was initially slated to last approximately 12 weeks, though the bridge is now reopening ahead of that timeline.
It will close again for “a short duration at some point this fall to complete miscellaneous items of this project,” road commission officials wrote in the Wednesday advisory.
“A lot of the work has been completed, so we didn’t want to leave it closed until we’re ready to do the last parts of what we need to do,” said Road Commission Spokesperson Emily Kizer.
Crews still need to pave the approach to the bridge on the south side and install a dry hydrant for use by fire rescue first responders, she said. Officials will be sharing details on the length and timing of the closure necessary to complete the construction when it is determined, Kizer said.
The Maple Road Bridge, located in Ann Arbor Township, was rededicated in 2003 after residents fought for a preservation effort rather than a replacement of the then-ailing bridge.
The rehabilitation project will help extend the structure’s more than 145-year lifespan, officials said of the effort and the work on the similar one-lane East Delhi Road Bridge in Scio Township.
That structure closed for just under two weeks last month, before reopening on July 27 after contractors completed sandblasting and repainting the bridge, MLive/The Ann Arbor News previously reported.
Read more: Historic bridge over Huron River near Ann Arbor reopens after rehabilitation work
The two bridges both originated at Canton, Ohio’s Wrought Iron Bridge Company and rank among the oldest in Michigan, according to a state bridge database.
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