MDOT, county have difficulty maintaining bridges due to lack of funding

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While some roads in Isabella County are in dire need of repair, more than one-third of county bridges are also in rough shape.

Of the 114 bridges in the county, 39 are on a critical bridge list.

Isabella County Road Commission Manager Tony Casali said there are two classifications of issues for bridges on the list — structural and functional.

The functional classification means something is insufficient, such as the road may be too narrow for the traffic volume, he said.

The structural classification is more serious and often requires more time and effort to fix.

“Structurally could mean the beams are in rough shape or fatigue of the bridge itself,” Casali said. “In that case, we would start imposing things like weight restrictions where we don’t let trucks with loads over a certain weight access the bridge and they have to take an alternate route.”

Last year a weight restriction was placed on a bridge over the Chippewa River on Lincoln Road between Broomfield Road and M-20, he said.

Michigan Department of Transportation spokeswoman Anita Richardson said bridge deterioration is common across the state.

Most bridges are reaching the end of their lifespan at 50 years and reduced funding has put MDOT in a difficult position when it comes to them, she said.

“We are using most federal bridge money not to build bridges, but to maintain and repair bridges,” Richardson said.

The longer MDOT does maintenance work, the more likely bridges will need to be rebuilt eventually, she said.

“Right now we are trying to help by matching the reduced funding as efficiently as possible, but it’s more and more difficult as highways age,” Richardson said.

The county has to apply for critical bridge funds three years ahead of time to help local jurisdictions also come up with funds to pay for the reconstruction, Casali said.

“To even qualify, a bridge has to span 20 feet or longer to receive funding for any reconstruction,” he said.

MDOT is looking at doing business differently with several ways to manage transportation, Richardson said.

Right now there are different presentations on MDOT’s website outlining ways to change how they are funded, she said.

Some examples found on the website are ways to revamp the registration fee for cars and airplanes, looking into toll roads and gas tax revenue and what is being done with it, Richardson said.

When it comes to bridges, Richardson emphasized the goal is to keep them all safe and passable by inspecting each bridge every two years.

“If a bridge is deemed structurally deficient, that does not necessarily mean it’s unsafe, it just needs repair work,” she said. “But if it is unsafe we are willing to do whatever possible to keep people safe, including closing the bridge.”