BYRON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The replacement of the 100th Street bridge has been stopped, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
The bridge over US-131 in southern Kent County gained notoriety a couple of years ago when it was repeatedly hit by overly high loads. To mitigate the problem, the Michigan Department of Transportation lowered the pavement beneath the bridge, which seems to have worked long enough for MDOT to draft plans for a replacement.
The bridge was finally demolished not long after Gov. Whitmer issued her stay-at-home executive order, which included exemptions for essential services and jobs.
After FOX 17 heard about it second hand, we asked MDOT. Grand Region spokesperson John Richard got right back to us an in email: "For the safety of the public and their workers, and to slow the spread, some projects are being suspended at the discretion of the contractors. 100th Street is one of those projects."
One project has been delayed: A group of bridges on US-131 in northern Kent County, Montcalm County, and Mecosta County were due for rehab work to begin last week, but the beginning of the work was postponed last week.
You can watch an MDOT-produced time lapse video of the demolition of the 100th Street bridge here:
