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MDOT to test US-31 drawbridge overnight in Grand Haven

Posted at 6:43 PM, Apr 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-25 18:43:31-04

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Transportation says crews will be testing the US-31 drawbridge in Grand Haven late Thursday night into Friday, after it malfunctioned late Thursday afternoon.

It happened around 4:30 p.m., and was corrected by around 5 p.m. However, the traffic backup on US-31 persisted for a while after that.

The Bascule Bridge was stuck in the open position for about 25 minutes, according to MDOT spokesman John Richard. He tells FOX 17 “test openings will occur again tonight between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.”

MDOT announced earlier this year that up to $850,000 had been budgeted to cover the costs of mechanical and electrical repairs on the bridge, following several bridge malfunctions in 2018. The repairs began in February 2019.

On Memorial Day weekend last year, the bridge got stuck in the up position a couple of times. That caused significant traffic backups. A mechanical failure was cited as the cause of the glitch.

Richard said Thursday evening, “Crews will try to remedy the issues.”

March 26, 2018