FERRYSBURG, Mich. — Funding was pulled for seven West Michigan bridges, among them Smith's Bridge in Ferrysburg.
The city of Ferrysburg says the bridge over Smith Bayou, which was assigned to be replaced due to safety concerns, will no longer be funded by the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Bridge Bundling Pilot Project. The project lost funding that came through the American Rescue Plan Act. As part of the recent deal to raise the federal government's debt ceiling, Congress called for any COVID-related funds not already spent by local and state governments to be returned.
The condition of Smith's Bridge has been a sore spot in the Tri-Cities area for years. City council members voted to close the bridge in 2019. Area residents petitioned the city to reevaluate the decision, raising money to cover the cost of another structural review. Governor Whitmer made a stop during that summer, claiming replacing it was a matter of "life and death."
Ferrysburg has tried other avenues to fund a replacement of the bridge, including grants, a one-time state appropriations bill and a millage in 2017 that voters rejected.
The other bridges in the Bridge Bundling Pilot Project that lost funding are:
- 32nd Avenue Bridge over North Branch in Ottawa County
- Grove Street Bridge over Deer Creek in Coopersville
- 16th Street Bridge over Miller Creek in Allegan County
- Central Road Bridge over Coldwater River in Branch County
- Old-27 Bridge over St. Joseph River in Calhoun County
- Old-27 Bridge over State and Indian Creek in Calhoun County
Contract bids were scheduled to begin in March 2024. It is not clear if the loss of funding through the American Rescue Plan will put the project on hold.
