WALKER, Mich. — The bridge that drivers loved to hate is gone. Its replacement opens much to the relief of drivers in Walker.
“This is a major north, south road for us,” says Walker Mayor Gary Carrey, “and you found the traffic impact on the other roads, because they avoided coming through here.”
Drivers wanted to avoid the pain of passing under a 117-year-old railroad bridge that could only handle one vehicle at a time.
“Anybody that ever drove underneath that bridge knew at times you were taking your life in your own hands,” Carrey remembers. “Because, is there a car coming? Is there not a car coming?”
And then there were the occasional truck mishaps when drivers didn’t notice or didn’t believe the sign overhead that warned of low clearance: just 10 feet, 0 inches.
“The top would be turned up like a tuna can,” noted Walker City Engineer Scott Connors.
It just wasn’t safe, and all agreed that replacing the bridge was long overdue.
And not just for safety. The difficulties passing through a low and narrow bridge divided the community, from residents to businesses. Bristol Avenue, while not as high-volume as Alpine or Walker avenues, is an important north-south artery for the city, “a single-lane road with a school on each end,” says Connors. “We've got a charter school up on 3 Mile Road. We've got West Catholic (High School) to the south.”
“This wasn't just about the residents,” adds Carey. “It's about the businesses that also come through here. And we have a thriving industrial area just north of here ... There's a lot of connectivity to the businesses on the south side of the bridge. Those trucks need to be able to get through here.”
When the bridge was built, it was a big moment for what was then Walker Township. “We have pictures in the historical archives going back almost 100 years where there were people up on top of the bridge in their Sunday best,” Carey says. “This was a bit of a neighborhood gathering place at the time when this was a township and this was a two track road out here did not have anywhere near the traffic that it does now.”
The country’s transition to cars and trucks was in its infancy. And what vehicles there were – beyond buggies and carriages – easily fit under the 10-foot clearance.
Taking down the old bridge and building up the new one required shutting off a critical north-south connection for nearly an entire construction season, capping a years-long process.
“The design actually took us two years to put together,” says Connors, “but part of that design was to negotiate with the railroad and to work with MDOT, and there were a lot of difficulties in trying to make all of those pieces fit together.” Getting approvals from everyone took an extra year.
The bridge was not the only thing that needed to be replaced. Under the new pavement is new infrastructure for water, sanitation, electricity, and gas.
With all the technical process, the bridge is designed to be a contributor to the city’s sense of community: “Families can walk through with strollers and their bikes,” Carey points out, “and there's so much neighborhood connectivity around here. It is kind of a gateway to either the north side of the bridge or the south side.”
After a brief ribbon-cutting, the new Bristol Avenue bridge opens after 2 p.m. on Sept. 18.
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