(WXYZ) — Residents of Grosse Ile Township are preparing for an upcoming 8-week closure of the Parkway Bridge, which will force them to use the island's only other exit, the toll bridge, costing families who live there.
Kyle De Beausset, an 8th-generation resident of the township, started an online petition in 2020 asking Wayne County officials for a long-term plan for the aging bridge. Five years later, he says little has changed.
RELATED: Our 2020 story on Grosse Ile residents wondering what's next for parkway bridge.
"You know I could believe it was five years ago, it feels like it was much shorter.. and really there has been no plan really that I can tell, longterm plan since then," De Beausset said.
The financial impact of the closure is significant for island residents like De Beausset.
"I'm a family of four, I've got two kids, daycare is expensive, I budget everything. So yeah, for these next two months, I'm hoping it's shorter hopefully not longer, I've got to set aside money, hundreds of dollars every month," De Beausset said.
In 2019, 7 Investigator Heather Catallo uncovered that underwater inspections on the bridge were skipped for 10 years — between 2007 and 2017.
RELATED: Watch Heather's 2019 story below
Doya Akinyemi, Director for The Department of Public Services for Wayne County, who has held the position for 7 months, says they now conduct inspections twice yearly. Recent inspections revealed rust on the steel plates, an ongoing issue.
"This project is to go there, remove the rusting part, and replace it, so we can keep it, and keep the traveling public safe," Akinyemi said.
When asked about residents being forced to pay toll bridge fees during the closure, Akinyemi confirmed there are no plans to reimburse residents.
He indicated that the department will be issuing a request for proposals (RFP) in the coming months, potentially leading to a bridge replacement.
"We are looking at all our options. I don't know what it is going to be," Akinyemi said.
While Akinyemi promises transparency about future plans for the bridge, De Beausset remains skeptical based on past experiences.
"I wish I could, that they are looking at a long term plan is something that I'm happy about, but what I am not happy about — they have promised things like public hearings, things like that, going back years now, and we have got nothing," De Beausset said.
RELATED: Watch our previous coverage on the Grosse Ile Parkway Bridge saga, from 2022 and 2024
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