HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A new weight limit will soon be imposed on an Ottawa County bridge with recently discovered "structural deterioration."
The Ottawa County Road Commission announced Friday morning that they had approved a new 22-ton weight limit for the 104th Avenue bridge over Black Creek in Holland Township.
While the county is still waiting for approval from the Michigan Utility Notification Center for the signage they are putting up, they expect that to come through within the next two weeks.
Once the signs go in, the new weight limit is officially in effect.
The new weight limit was established after the county says they discovered early signs of structural deterioration on the bridge.
Vehicles weighing more than 22 tons are instructed to travel along a different route.
The bridge was initially built back in 1976.
According to the National Bridge Index (NBI), the bridge was designated structurally deficient after an inspection in November 2022, though the agency noted that the bridge still met the so-called "minimum tolerable limits" to be left in place as is.
The quaint little bridge sits near a number of manufacturing and landscaping companies, many of which tell FOX 17 that the new weight limit should not impact them much at all.
However, the folks at Corlett Turner, a manufacturer of machine components, are worried that the change could impact their trucks coming and going from their building.
Most of the businesses who spoke to FOX 17 off camera Friday said they had not previously known about discussions to change the bridge's weight limit.
While the county road commission expects the new signs to be in place before the start of December, they say that timeline could potentially be pushed back slightly due to the holiday season.
You can find out more about the announcement from the Ottawa County Road Commission at their website HERE.
