Okemos Road bridge reopens to traffic in both directions

MERIDIAN TWP. — The new bridge on Okemos Road over the Red Cedar River opened Wednesday, well ahead of April Fools Day, which may have been fortunate given the myriad delays in finalizing the long-closed structure.

The bridge reopening was delayed by weather, holidays, concrete shortages and other factors, Ingham County officials have said.

The reopening originally planned for November was delayed to December or January, and then to the end of February, and later to March.

The $8.75 million project included replacing a pair of bridges with a five-lane, single-span bridge, Mt. Hope Road intersection reconstruction, traffic signal and sidewalk/ramp reconstruction.

The two bridges that were removed were functionally obsolete according to current bridge design standards, the Ingham County Road Department said.

The project was delayed before it could begin, as work was supposed to start in February of 2022, but construction was delayed a month due to AT&T upgrades, including boring new ducts under the Red Cedar River, pulling new lines through the ducts and splicing the lines.

Meridian Township in recent weeks waived some construction restrictions, including allowing crews to work on Sundays and holidays, in an effort to help finish the project that was largely funded with state and federal grants and other contributions. Ingham County's part was $2.3 million.

Meridian Township Director of Public Works Dan Opsommer in November told the State Journal officials appreciated the public's patience and noted an exceedingly difficult year for construction.

The project has gone over its budget and its contingency budget. Ingham County officials in February approved an extra $184,000 on top of an existing $466,000 contingency fund.

The $184,000 was to hire a replacement concrete firm because "the concrete contractor (was) walking off the job until mid to late March as part of a seasonal weather shutdown," according to Ingham County documents that county commissioners used to authorize the extra spending. The new concrete crew came at a "high price point," according to the documents.

The overages would come from the county's remaining federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. The new firm is GM & Sons. The county documents don't name the old firm.

Kelly Jones, the managing director for Ingham County's roads department, told the State Journal earlier this month that she expects lawsuits will be filed after the bridge reopened, but declined to be more specific.

There could still be occasional lane shifts or closures for a few months as construction wraps up, she said.

"We will still have work at the site," Jones said, "probably through spring and summer, including sidewalk and site restoration."

The township in a brief release noting the bridge was open to traffic said there will be intermittent outer lane closures from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to finish work on manholes until April 7.

Temporary lane closures will also be required intermittently when there is consistently dry weather, so a contractor can seal concrete joints and apply concrete surface coating.

Reporter Mike Ellis contributed.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Okemos Road bridge reopens to traffic in both directions