Rusted Out 32 Mile Road Bridge Closed Indefinitely; 'It Is Gonna Be Very Disruptive'

ARMADA (WWJ) - A bridge in Northern Macomb County crossed every day by about 15,000 vehicles is closing indefinitely.

During a routine inspection, crews with the Macomb County Department of Roads found that the beams supporting the bridge over the Clinton River, on 32 Mile Road in Armada, had rusted through — and the bridge was in danger of collapsing.

"This is a two-span bridge," said Department of Roads Director Bob Hoetfner. "Over the center pier there's a joint that separates the two spans of the bridge. Over time — and this bridge was built 40, 50 years ago — water seeps through that joint, and rusts the beams at the pier."

"This rust is now significant," he said. "It has rusted away a significant potion of the beams and they can no longer support the structure."

It could be two years before the bridge reopened to traffic, according to Hoetfner.

Hoetfner told WWJ's Zahra Huber they're looking at several options for fixing the bridge between Romeo Plank and Powell.

"There's something that we can do to build temporary supports under this structure to hold the bridge up until we can design full replacement," he said. "The second option: There are companies in the United States that sell temporary emergency structures we can use."

Hoetfner said the long-term plan is want to rip out the entire bridge and replace it with a new one.

In the meantime...  "It is gonna be very disruptive. Citizens are not going to like the increased traffic on the roadways," Hoetfner said. "Ultimately people will adjust their driving patters to find the most efficient route."