Anyone who has driven through downtown Dexter has probably gone over the Mill Creek Bridge, and has the vehicle damage to show for it.
The decades old bridge, whose pot holes have pot holes, is being replaced starting this spring. The multi-million-dollar project will rebuild the bridge, remove an old damn beneath it and significantly alter an adjacent pond.
But the big change people will notice when it's done is a smother ride.
"The existing bridge is in bad condition," says Aaron Berkholz, construction superintendent with the Washtenaw County Road Commission. "You can see it when you go over it. It's just terrible."
Removing the nearly century-old damn is also part of the project. This will result in the elimination of a tiny, nearby pond.
"At this point the damn serves no purpose except to keep the pond," Berkholz says. "And the pond isn't what it once was. It's filled with sediment."
The $2.5 million bridge will be open during construction. The pond side of the bridge will be replaced first with work on the main structure expected to finish by fall. Final landscaping and painting of the new bridge is expected to occur next spring when the weather breaks.
The new bridge will accommodate both motorized and non-motorized traffic. There will still be two-lanes for car, along with bike lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians.
Source: Aaron Berkholz, construction superintendent with the Washtenaw County Road Commission
Writer: Jon Zemke
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.