Missaukee County’s Dorr Road bridge replaced as part of MDOT local agency bridge bundling program

LANSING, Mich. - ­The Dorr Road bridge over Haymarsh Creek in Missaukee County, under construction since July, was completed and reopened to traffic Nov. 15 as the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) bridge bundling program continues to support local agencies working to improve bridge conditions.

The bridge was part of Phase Three of this innovative program to assist local road agencies. This is the second of five bridges to open as part of a $11.6 million design-build bridge bundle. MDOT continues to work on Phase Two and Three bridge bundling projects across the state in collaboration with local agency bridge owners.

In addition to the Dorr Road bridge, Phase Three also includes bridge bundles that will be let for bids in 2024, 2025 and 2026. A complete schedule is available at www.Michigan.gov/BridgeBundling.

Bridge bundling, which packages several bridge locations under one contract, streamlines coordination and permitting, increases economies of scale, and improves bridge conditions on local routes around the state. In October, MDOT was awarded competitive federal grant funding, allowing additional bridge bundle projects to be built to further improve local bridge conditions.

Over the past four years, this program has delivered 28 bridge replacements and removals to boost the overall safety of the transportation network in Michigan. Coordination and collaboration among MDOT, consultants and local agency owners has been critical to the program's success. Through its consultants, MDOT provided scoping, planning, environmental clearance, design, construction and inspection services without any cost to the local agencies.

The Dorr Road bridge in Missaukee County was reopened to traffic Nov. 15 as part of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) local agency bridge bundling program. (Photo by RS Scott & Associates)