By David Fleet
Editor
Atlas Twp.- John Daly, manager-director of the Genesee County Road Commission, attended the township meeting on Monday night to discuss replacement of the Green Road bridge over the Kearsley Creek, located about a mile east of M-15.
Since the 70-year-old bridge was shut down indefinitely by the GCRC following a Dec.13 inspection by engineers from Flint-based WadeTrim’township and county officials have been grappling with an action plan to repair the structure.
‘We do get enough money for the 1,600 miles of roads we care for in the county,? said Daly. ‘We have not received enough for the past 20 years.?
Daly suggested several options for the township to help fund a replacement of the bridge including competing for money in the Michigan Department of Transportation Bay Region.
‘Funding from MDOT is very tough,? said Daly.
‘Consider last year there was $45 million requested for bridge projects in the 13 counties of the Bay Region and only $7 million was awarded’about 15 percent funding.?
One of the factors that will make it difficult for the township to capture MDOT funding is simply a lack of traffic to make the structure a high priority.
‘There’s just not enough traffic over that bridge’the 2006 count was less than 1,000 per day,? said Fred Peivandi, director of engineering at the Genesee County Road Commission who accompanied Daly to the township.
‘It’s just very rural.?
Costs on the project will vary from $500,000-$600,000 for complete replacement to about $300,000 to $350,000 for a repair of the bridge deck using the existing abutments, reported Daly.
Township Supervisor Shirley-Kautman Jones said the township is prepared to move forward with repair of the deck and use money from the general fund to fix the bridge.
‘The township will have to pay for this project’we just can’t wait years for funding,? said Jones.
‘At very best the county will pay 25 percent, and the township will be responsible for 75 percent of the project’but that could change. We need to move fast on this project if we expect to have it fixed before next winter.
‘We can cut back on limestone on gravel roads for the next year,? said Jones. ‘We’ll have a special meeting to discuss the repair project’but if we act now, construction can start this summer.?
Jones said an estimate from the county should be available in the next 10 days. Watch The Citizen for updates on our website, thecitizenonline.com.