Cass Avenue bridge over I-94 in downtown Detroit closed for emergency repairs

In the latest of Michigan bridge woes, the Cass Avenue bridge over I-94 in Detroit is closed to traffic after a recent inspection revealed the need for repairs.

Traffic from Cass Avenue between Antoinette Street and Palmer Avenue will divert to Woodward Avenue until late July when repairs are scheduled to finish, according to a news release from the Michigan Department of Transportation.

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The release said businesses will still be accessible during the closure.

A spokesman for MDOT said the bridge's issues were "age-related," as inspectors were concerned with the state of the bridge's driving surface.

"We understand the inconvenience," said the spokesman, "but we cannot compromise safety."

Just last month, a Detroit pedestrian claimed to fall through a hole in the Spruce Street pedestrian bridge when the concrete collapsed under his feet.

Built in 1955, the Cass Avenue bridge has never been replaced and is scheduled to be removed and restored in 2023.

This overpass is but one of many Michigan bridges in desperate need of renovation. A 2019 Free Press investigation found that one in every 10 Michigan bridges were in "poor" condition and that if repairs continued at the current pace, upgrades could take 92 years.

A recent initiative by MDOT aims to complete repairs on 19 bridges across the state by 2024. The Cass Avenue Bridge was not listed as one of those initially slated for repair as part of this project.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cass Avenue bridge over I-94 in Detroit shut for repairs