WHITE LAKE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Monday, drivers in a White Lake Township neighborhood will take their last ride across a 62-year-old bridge. The bridge is closing for good, according to the Oakland County Road Commission.
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The commission stated that the structure will be demolished and a new bridge will be constructed. However, that won't happen until next year.
Earl Meyer has lived next to this bridge on Avonlea Avenue all his life.
"I'm excited. It's going to be quiet. Ya know, there won't be so much traffic going back and forth for a while," he chuckled.
7 News Detroit spoke with the Meyer family on Tuesday afternoon. Earl's mother said her aunt acquired the property in 1927. So, she remembers when it was a wooden bridge and then the construction of the current bridge in 1963.
The road commission said the new bridge will be the same width and height as the current one.
David Hale, who's lived next door to the Meyers for 40 years, said it's about time.
"Really pleased they're getting it done. It's gonna make a big difference back here. It's very dangerous the way it is," he said.
Craig Bryson with the Oakland County Road Commission confirmed the structure's poor condition. He noted the findings of the bridge's annual inspection.
"In the last inspection, we noted that it had deteriorated quite a bit more from the last time we did the inspection. So, in an abundance of safety, we want to keep vehicles off it now because it's deteriorating to the point where it shouldn't be driven on," he explained.
There's been such a decline, Bryson said, that it prompted the road commission to add a vehicle weight limit.
Hale said, "Fire department, emergency people, how are they supposed to get across it to get into these neighborhoods? It has to be done. Because 3 tons? Who's that?"
That's a concern with the bridge as-is. How about without the bridge?
"It's concerning, but ya know, we've got the fire station over here and we got one over off of Round Lake Road," Meyer said. "You can come through the neighborhood to get out this way. So, it shouldn't be too big of a deal, he explained.
Bryson said first responders have been notified and are familiar with the alternative routes. Those routes will be in use possibly until fall 2026, since he said the new bridge won't be built this year.
He said it all comes down to money.
Bryson explained, "Typically, these will be about a two-month project from start to finish."
"Because this wasn't planned or scheduled, though, we don't have funding to do it this year. We were able to line up funding for next year. So, it'll be done in 2026," he said.
