MUSKEGON, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is searching for sustainable funding to keep bridges like the White River Bridge, which connects Whitehall and Montague, open.
"It's going to cost about $25 million just replace this one little bridge. And our annual budget for this 13 county region is about $100 million," said John Richard, MDOT's Grand Region Communications Rep.
WATCH: 'We need something sustainable': Aging bridges across Michigan risk closure without billions in additional funding
Richard said Michigan is ranked toward the bottom of the country per capita when it comes to road and bridge investment.
"10 years ago, it was an additional $1.2 billion would be needed for, you know, MDOT roads, county roads, city roads, everything," Richard said. "That number has more than tripled."
Now, Richard says the additional funds needed ranges between $4 billion and $5 billion.
"This is just one bridge of, I think we have almost 5,000 bridges in Michigan that MDOT maintains," Richard said. "So it's a great example, just to show how expensive things are."
Richard's ideal method to secure more funding is through user fees.
So more mileage means more money.
"The cost of gas does not help out transportation funding," Richard said. "So we need something sustainable that is going to be consistent and grow with inflation."
Richard explains sustainable funding would have a positive impact on everybody, like Whitehall neighbor Scott Genson.
"I drive over the bridge four times a week," Genson said. "My daughter lives in Montague. I live in White Hall."
Genson explains he drives over the bridge every time he goes to see his daughter. Genson says if the bridge were to close, it would add roughly 15 miles to that trip.
"The two cities are almost one," Genson said. "Half the things I do are in Montague and the other half's in Whitehall, you know."
Richard adds even a simple trip to the grocery store may jump from two minutes to 20 minutes, if bridges like the White River Bridge, built in 1929, are on borrowed time.
"That's not acceptable to a lot of folks. So these bridges are vital to these small communities," Richard said. "We need good roads. We need modern infrastructure, and the only way we're going to get there is with additional funding. So it's really important for everybody."
Additionally, potential state-maintained bridge closures could place significant pressure on local road commissions, officials say.
In Northview, the Jupiter Avenue bridge over the Grand River is 27 years old and in good condition. Just two miles away, a state-maintained bridge in fair condition was last updated in 2006.
Kent County Road Commission leaders say closures of state bridges could cause traffic to be rerouted onto local spans, creating new problems.
“If that traffic had to be detoured, it's likely going to come to this bridge, and that might quadruple or at least triple what's currently going over this bridge,” said Wayne Harrall, deputy managing director of the Kent County Road Commission. “To be able to handle all that traffic, structurally, it could handle it. Capacity-wise, it would not be able to handle it.”
The Jupiter Avenue bridge is scheduled for work next year with state and federal funding at a cost of about $500,000.
Kent County has 166 bridges, 95 of which are 55 years or older, including one that is 152 years old.
Harrall said funding for local road commissions is “very deficient” and called for stronger state support to maintain and rehabilitate bridges.
Kent County spends heavily on preservation and rehabilitation to avoid replacements, but counties still compete for limited funds.
Statewide, there are about 6,500 local bridges.
“I think one of the keys is really because the dollars need to be stretched out over, you know, those 6,500 local bridges that agencies need to think about and need to do the preservation and the rehabilitation,” Harrall said. “Don't let them get to the point where the only option is we need to replace it, and currently, that's the only way we can function.”
Rising costs are another challenge. Harrall said road commissions face the same inflation pressures as everyone else, with costs quadrupling over the last two decades, while funding has remained relatively consistent.
For more information on Michigan bridge conditions, click here.
