Benzie County's Reynolds Road bridge replaced as part of MDOT local agency bridge bundling program

LANSING, Mich. - ­The Reynolds Road bridge over the Betsie River in Benzie County, under construction since July, was completed and reopened to traffic Dec. 17 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 third 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.

Troy Hinds, manager of the Benzie County Road Commission, said the county was grateful to receive critical funding to repair bridges that were previously beyond its financial capacity to address.

"The Reynolds Road bridge had become weight-restricted and deteriorated beyond repair, posing a serious safety risk for travelers, plus a detour down miles of seasonal roads," Hinds said. "Thanks to the bridge bundling program, we were able to replace this aging infrastructure, which is essential for rural road commissions that do not have millions of dollars to spare for large-scale projects. This program has allowed us to maintain safety, support local traffic and ensure the long-term stability of our roads. The successful completion of this project highlights the importance of such funding and its direct impact on the community."

In addition to the Reynolds 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.

Crews pour one of the abutments for the Reynolds Road bridge in Benzie County earlier this year as part of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) local agency bridge bundling program. (Photo by OHM Advisors)

The Reynolds Road bridge over the Betsie River was reopened to traffic Dec. 17 as part of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) local agency bridge bundling program. (Photo by OHM Advisors)