I-94/75 bridge repairs spur a political quarrel

The Michigan Department of Transportation began installing temporary bridge supports Wednesday at the heavily trafficked interchange of Interstates 94/75 in Detroit because of a crumbling concrete column — a discovery the agency's director said was alarming.

"To me, that scares me," MDOT Director Kirk Steudle said of the exposed iron in the deteriorating concrete bridge support. "It's got a lot less load-bearing surface to hold the bridge above it."

The department's highlighting of the deteriorating bridge and need for "new investment" is drawing the ire of some lawmakers and critics as the May 5 statewide vote looms on the fate of Proposal 1 and $1.2 billion in new funding for road and bridge repairs.

"The timing seems suspiciously coincidental and clearly coordinated in messaging with the first television ad urging a yes vote on a $2-billion-a-year tax increase," said state Rep. Gary Glenn, R-Midland.

The Safe Roads Yes campaign, a group largely bankrolled by the road-building industry, began this week a statewide television ad campaign. One ad features a Lansing-area mother who says the roads are "dangerous" because of plywood holding up the concrete underbelly of some bridges. Another ad features a school bus driver saying she hates to drive across some deteriorating bridges while transporting schoolchildren.

Glenn is among a handful of conservative Republican legislators pushing alternatives to the Proposal 1 plan, which seeks to raise the 6 percent sales tax to 7 percent as part of a complex plan to reform highway and bridge repair financing.

"They're public servants. They're here to fix roads and bridges and not play politics to get more money," Rep. Joe Graves, R-Argentine Township, said of MDOT officials. "They're not here to prove to the public that Proposal 1 needs to be done."

But Steudle argued he's not trying to manufacture a crisis, noting the highway bridges in Detroit and elsewhere will continue to be patched over with temporary supports and plywood "without new investment."

"We are walking a bit of a tightrope, but at the end of the day I've got a responsibility to keep the public safe," Steudle said.

In a typical year, the Transportation Department spends about $10 million on temporary bridge supports, emergency repairs and preventive maintenance on Michigan bridges. The state has 266 structurally deficient bridges, the majority located in southeast Michigan.

The I-94 eastbound ramp under northbound and southbound I-75 is among those structurally deficient bridges MDOT lacks near-term funding to replace. The bridge is not scheduled to be replaced "anytime soon," MDOT spokesman Jeff Cranson said.

Rep. Marilyn Lane, D-Fraser, defended Steudle's public education campaign on the condition of Michigan's roads and bridges.

"I think (MDOT) would be reckless if they didn't and some calamity happened," Lane said.

'No easy solution'

Sen. David Knezek, D-Dearborn Heights, said his GOP colleagues need to stop their "political posturing" over road funding.

"It's fair to say that MDOT has a responsibility to educate folks in our state about the conditions of roads and bridges," Knezek said.

MDOT's actions on road repair decisions have come under closer scrutiny by lawmakers in the wake of two stinging audits over the department's leases of unused passenger train cars and oversight of warranty work by road construction firms.

Sen. Jack Brandenburg, who continues to argue the state can come up with the extra money to fix more roads without increasing taxes, accused the MDOT director of exaggeration and "overreach." He said he knows well the status of Michigan roads because railroad fasteners and hardware from his Blue Water Industrial Supply firm are trucked across the state daily.

"In 35 years, we have never had a blown tire, never had a bent rim, nor have any of my drivers ever said they've been anywhere close to being in an accident," the Harrison Township Republican said. "Over the years, we've had 40-50 delivery vans, and we've never had to do anything but basic repairs and maintenance."

Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton Township, said he has found a way to add $869 million to the road repair kitty starting next year and has posted strategies for achieving that on his Senate website.

Colbeck also maintains there's money that could be redirected to road repairs from some of the 345 "restricted" funds — by his count — that now are earmarked for other things.

"It's not a simple exercise to repurpose the money," he said, "but it's one we should take on."

Former House Speaker Jase Bolger, who pushed for alternatives to the sales tax increase, was skeptical about whether any proposed alternative to Proposal 1 is viable. Bolger, R-Marshall, has endorsed the ballot initiative.

"People always react that there's a better plan out there, but the simple truth is there is no easy solution," Bolger told The News on Wednesday. "If there was a simple solution, this would have been done long ago."

Years of wear and tear

MDOT bridge engineers decided to install the supports under the I-94/I-75 interchange after an inspection showed the concrete had started to deteriorate, Steudle said.

"They are empowered to make those determinations," he said. "This is what they do all day, every day."

According to MDOT, the temporary supports will stabilize the structure, ensuring it is safe to travel through the interchange while bridge engineers conduct a more detailed evaluation.

The left lane of both northbound and southbound I-75 will be closed to allow the installation of a concrete barrier to protect construction crews working under the bridge during heavy traffic.

Motorists can expect occasional closures of the second left lane during non-peak hours to provide workers additional room to work safely, according to MDOT.

The I-94 eastbound ramp was built in 1964 and carries 62,000 vehicles per day.

Steudle, whose agency is routinely criticized by the motoring public for the quality of road construction, said it's not surprising the concrete on a 50-year-old bridge would start to flake off.

"The fact of the matter is, at some point you've got to buy a new car," Steudle said of the need to replace bridges after years of wear and tear. "That's been my message for a while. I've been saying this for years."

clivengood@detroitnews.com

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