KENT COUNTY, Mich. — This time next year, there should be a new bridge on 100th Street over U.S. 131 near Byron Center in southern Kent County.
The Michigan Department of Transportation is replacing the bridge after the bottom was hit by at least eight tall trucks last year.
Engineers explained the final plans at an open house Tuesday in the Byron Center Township Hall.
The $10.5 million project won’t include any roundabouts, which many drivers say they dislike, but it will add turning lanes and raise the bridge two feet to make any future collisions with tall trucks unlikely.
“It will be quite a jump in height,” explained project manager David Kent. “There shouldn't be any conflicts with higher load hits.”
Engineers say the work will start next March and the new bridge should be open for traffic around Labor Day next September.
“It's a bridge that needed assistance for a long time,” said Tim Stegink, who lives nearby. “I’m glad it is going to happen.”
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