US$113 million Michigan bridge replacement

The US$113 million project to replace a bascule bridge in Bay City, Michigan, has been awarded to a joint venture team. Granite Construction and Kraemer North America will demolish the old Lafayette Avenue Bridge and build a replacement structure.

The work will commence in the third quarter of 2024. The project is receiving funding from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). The work involves breaking up and removing the existing bridge, followed by the installation of substructure, bascule piers, cofferdam, machinery, structural steel, bridge house and approaches.

The Lafayette Avenue Bridge carries the M-13 and M-84 across the Sagamore River. The bridge replacement project is expected to take until mid-2027 to complete.

The 138m bridge was completed in 1938 and then revamped in 1987, featuring a 56.4m bascule section. However, it is now increasingly unable to carry the traffic volumes it has to handle and also has major maintenance requirements.