By David Fleet

Editor

Atlas Twp.

-The board of trustees voted 5-0 on Monday night to support a proposal to replace the Henderson Road Bridge over Kearsley Creek.

The Genesee County Road Commission contacted the township regarding funding for the structure, located between Kipp and Green roads, through the Bay Regional Bridge Council.

“The single span bridge is in bad shape,” said Tere Onica, township supervisor. “The bridge was built in 1937 and the general condition of the structure is serious according to the report.”

The estimated cost to repair or replace the bridge is $927,500, of which the township will be responsible for $55,650. If approved, bridge work could begin in 2020.

“It’s a darn good value,” Onica said. “We have to be all in for this project. However, the last bridge we replaced took so long that we ended up paying for it ourselves.”

Onica said the Green Road bridge was replaced in 2009 at a cost to the township of $230,000.

According to the Genesee County Road Commission, in 2015 the Henderson Road bridge, over the Kearsley Creek, was named one of five in Genesee County that may be closed within the next five years if additional funding is not received for repairs. The Henderson Road bridge repair estimate then was estimated to be $700,000. The bridge was considered critical in December 2008 when the Green Road bridge was shutdown for replacement.