A bridge on Montgomery Road between Camden and Frontier will remain closed for repairs until October 2022, according to Hillsdale County Commissioner Doug Ingles. The bridge crosses the St. Joseph River near Woodbridge Road.
The bridge repair, which began on March 21, is underway thanks to a grant of just less than $1 million from the Federal Critical Bridge Fund, according to Ingles.
Ingles said he estimates the bridge will be open for travel again by mid-October and completed by November 2022.
Without the repairs, local emergency services could struggle to reach Camden-Frontier Schools, according to County Commissioner Brad Benzing.
“The load limit on the bridge had been below the weight of what firetrucks would need to cross it to get to the school and they would have to detour around it if it failed,” Benzing said.
Usually, the bridge is open all season, and allows for transportation east and west across the county, according to Benzing.
“I am glad to see that we are working with the department of transportation of the state of Michigan,” said County Commissioner Brent Leninger.
Benzing said that repairs have long been expected, as they were first funded six years ago. He also detailed how repairs stalled after surveyors found an endangered species of mussel underneath the bridge, according to Benzing.
According to Benzing, more studies were necessary to protect the mussels. Before beginning construction on the bridge, county engineers drafted an environmental mitigation plan.
Aside from environmental concerns, the project depends on weather conditions and the approval of engineering plans, Ingles said.
“It sometimes takes several years to get a project engineered and approved and then once those happen, they have to get it out. Federal and state projects have to follow guidelines,” Ingles said.
