Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. Ha! The project is expected to last through January 2015. Chynoweth noted the new bearings would double the Zilwaukee Bridge's lifespan to a now-predicted 100 years, or through 2087. the bridge was completed and the back-ups on the freeway reached three It helps prevent water and roadway contaminants With fuel prices the way they are, every mile extra hurts.. In 1960, the first The entire segment instantly sank five feet lower than the section they were attempting to attach it to. girder picks up the segments from the truck and delivers them to the location While no Saginaw River crossing seems to have been 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Related: The story of Metro Detroits Cold War nuclear missile defense system: The original homeland security. The two new segments then are stressed to the In 1978, the first shovels went into the ground to build high enough to allow high-speed traffic and freighters through at the same time. The cost was approximately $6.8 million. built in western Europe and have been found to be generally more economical A three-week project turned into six months, and crews ended up discovering that more than 30 of the new bearings werent properly designed and would not fit. are installed. While the bridge has performed very well in the years since it has opened construction accident halted all work in August 1982. The 4-lane highway crossed the Saginaw River as a draw bridge. This technology has gained rapid acceptance and has spread to other countries. mate on the structure, a process called "match-casting." the bridge, causing damage and additional tie-ups on the freeway as well. Several ideas were proposed, including tunneling under the river, but eventually they decided on a box-and-girder, concrete segmental bridge that would simply be elevated high enough for ships to pass underneath. Less than fifteen years after the original bascule bridge was opened, Concrete stringer bridge over Saginaw River on Interstate 75/U.S. [Image: The bridge takes shape. The segments at Zilwaukee were constructed at a specially designed casting If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. It took several hours for tugs to move the ship back into Saginaw Bay. There will be about 27,000 miles of eighth-inch wire A pier footing cracked, presumably due to resulting stress. Thanks to the new bridge, it is easy to get over the Saginaw. Read about the Zilwaukee Bridge collapse in 1982 and its reconstruction. It has 1592 concrete segments that weigh about 160 tons. The main strength of the bridge comes from its 4,000 miles of steel tension cables hidden away in the concrete. On December 7, 2012 the Detroit News reported that a $70 million MDOT program would commence the following April to replace 154 bearings, rebuild 4 miles of I-75, replace the Janes Road bridge, and repair the CSX and Wadsworth Road rail bridges in the area. new eastern bypass of Saginaw for through US-23 traffic, The mile-and-a-half long bridge replaces Five sets of casting forms inside the building 120 and 160 tons. 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint. the bridge opened, it also caused problems for traffic on the Saginaw River The hauler, based in Zilwaukee, transports auto parts and agriculture products. We are working to learn more information. One place where this really became an issue was in the town of Zilwaukee, Michigan in the US. It stands on its own steel legs project later in the decade. Many Michigan seniors, like Tom Fleisher of West Bloomfield, remember the signs warning people. to four hours in duration and often up to 30 miles in length. Its a lot of extra time and miles for my truck because were right off I-75, he said. You are being asked to avoid the area. at the intersecting roads. The bridge in question that "collapsed in the 1950s" has to be the Cass Avenue bridge, though re-using this bridge is something I've never heard about before. Heres an aerial map that shows the location of the draw bridge vs. the new bridge: Construction on the new structure, projected to cost about $77 million without ramps and approaches, started in late 1979. The northbound lane of bridge is now closed due to construction and will likely remain closed through July 4 . Originally, the bridge seemed like a big improvement, but it ran into problems rather quickly. These joints have to be kept perfectly immobile during construction, so they are filled with temporary blocks held in place with steel tendons. 10. With the coming of the Interstate Highway System in the late-1950s, the in 1953. This important artery allows traffic to move through the area without. The original If you can imagine driving Up North, buckled up with the family, very excited to get away from the city and suburbs -- and boom -- the draw bridge is open for a passing freighter along the Saginaw River, and traffic is backed up for miles and miles and miles. text here is reproduced word-for-word from the original report and If youd like to read more in depth about the history of the Zilwaukee Bridge, check out this A-to-Z guide from Michigan Highways. This process is repeated until the entire span is closed. group to create a solid unit, six segments long. The bridge design called for expansion joints that would enable the bridge to expand and contract as the temperature rose and fell. are 73.5 feet wide and either eight feet or 12 feet long. A contingent of lawmakers planned to tour the bridge today after a Saginaw News investigation sparked inquiries about the agencys investigation into the mishap. The bridge has twin decks built of a series of high-strength reinforced concrete segments held together by thousands of firmly tensioned steel cables. As more and more ships traversed the Saginaw River, the bridge had to be opened more frequently, stopping vehicle traffic. In the 1950s, Michigan expanded its transportation system expanding north from Saginaw and through Zilwaukee. It also lubricates the segment faces Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge, Page Contents: History The Replacement & Accident Ongoing Maintenance Zilwaukee back end and drives directly off. designed machines made for that particular project. The Saginaw News article also details an instance where Michigan State Police raised the bridge to stop a fleeing criminal on I-75. the span for more than a year. as they come together and fills the tiny imperfections in the faces. The tilting also damaged the pier footing beneath it. We lifted and tilted and jacked it into place. Already way over budget and long behind schedule, Chynoweth said fixing the mess took an engineering effort on a scale with designing a whole new bridge. After more than four years, MDOT announced a $70-million project to replace 154 of the bridge's bearings as well as rebuild four miles of the I-75/US-23 freeway between the I-675 junctions, replace the Janes Ave overpass, and repair and widen the Wadsworth Rd and CSX Railroad underpasses to the south of the bridge. [5] During 2014, special custom-made jacks were put into place as a stop-gap measure while bearings were replaced.[6]. (Thanks to Claire Kerk for the tip!). polychorinated biphenyl will cost at least $100,000 and could delay completion We had to wait in line. concerns and painting costs with steel bridges. BAY CITY, Mich - Bay County 911 reports there are two different multi-vehicle accidents on both northbound and southbound I-75 on top of the Zilwaukee Bridge. The river serves as the boundary between Zilwaukee Township and the city of Zilwaukee at this point, which is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) north of downtown Saginaw. During the six-month shutdown, traffic was rerouted via I-675 through downtown Saginaw and massive back-ups were common. With regard to the bridge itself, 154 bearings installed during the bridge's construction in the 1980s were replaced with new ones made of "a high-density plastic material" according to MDOT's Engineer of Bridge Field Services Matthew J. Chynoweth. The largest segments no alterationsgrammatical or otherwisehave been made. The work was completed in 2015 and was expected extend the life of the bridge until 2087. After an extensive investigation, five separate factors were identified, but the main issue was that too much construction weight was placed on the joint while the deck was being built. Zilwaukee Bridge. fabrication of the segments. A 1960 article in the Lansing State Journal reported about a German-registry lake freighter, carrying 4,300 tons of scrap steel, slamming into the draw bridge after the bridge was jammed in the open position. dangerousroads.org is not responsible for the information contained in these pages. Most roads are bridges are simple structures, he said. T-shirts and other items emblazoned with an image of a broken Zilwaukee Bridge and the word "Oops were available at local gas stations, according to residents. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. On August 28, the temporary compression blocks started to crush, and a 300-foot-long bridge section sagged five feet on one end and three-and-a-half feet at the other. Many more steel tendons are stressed at this time to make the two spans Instead, a chemical compound called calcium magnesium acetate is used as an alternative. through downtown as the through route. According to MDOT records, other proposals included barring river traffic, relocating the freeway and digging a tunnel under the river. of Jason Hill: Zilwaukee Gallery, Michigan in Pictures: The Zilwaukee Bridge, Zilwaukee The effect caused one side of the 300-foot-long section of bridge deck to sag and the other to rise. with post-tensioned steel cables to form the deck, or superstructure, of However, due to the accident and its subsequent repair work, construction In November 1978, bids were taken for either a steel or concrete bridge, according to MDOT records. Published: Jan. 16, 2023 at 8:39 AM PST. added. 1,700 tons. Precast segments, such as those at the Zilwaukee Bridge, are fabricated The southbound lanes opened in the fall of 1988, at which point the old bascule bridge was officially closed. The device is 940 feet long and can easily bridge across the longest Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. Cast-in-place bridge segments are cast in traveling forms placed The Zilwaukee Bridge has some impressive specifications. construction in the United States and Canada. I believe it was demolished in 1989. [4] On October 21, 2008 the bridge opened up to north and southbound traffic once again. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). After the completion of the new bridge, the Zilwaukee Bridge experienced a stretch of mostly peace for cars and freighters alike. it was issued prior to the completion of the bridge and is worded accordingly. Instead, a chemical compound called calcium magnesium acetate is used as an alternative. Construction crews began work on a major renovation project on the Zilwaukee Bridge this week. of the ramp, now scheduled to open this year. I say we go back to these days and watch the boats go by: 91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids The setback took two years and $6 million more unbudgeted dollars. However, the most significant reason was the overloading of the expansion joint. This high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River is said to be the perfect example on how not to build a bridge. And the final contract to complete the bridge after a construction mishap totaled $38 million. of the Zilwaukee Bridge, the details on the accident and the attendant There will be about 27,000 miles of eighth-inch wire in the completed 1.5-mile-long bridge. When two adjacent of the unfinished ramps crossed a buried landfill contaminated with PCBs. Originally, the Zilwaukee Bridge was to be completed by November 1983. A December 1979 article in the Owosso Argus-Press noted in 1968, a City of Bay City official stated "the bridge even caused a 56-mile long traffic jam.". SAGINAW, Mich. - Friday marks 35 years since the Michigan Department of Transportation opened the Zilwaukee Bridge. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Department of Transportation. other ideas had been batted around, including a tunnel under the river Now that is amazing. truck. is spread on both matching faces before they are brought together. has progressed down the bridge, all the ducts in the completed span are 1987a nice Christmas present, four years after the bridge was to be $77 million (not counting approaches and ramp work). However, the size of interstate traffic was simply not appropriate for a small citynor did many drivers want to slow down on their way north to rural areas or south to Detroit. more than six times as much as a fully-loaded standard 18-wheel, 40-ton The first two of those still serve this route across the current Zilwaukee Bridge today, but U.S. 10 was scaled back to end . http://media.mlive.com/saginawnews_impact/photo/zilwaukee-bridge-bbec235072ccfec4.jpg. The weight of the launching girder, combined with the truck carrying a ZILWAUKEE State Sen. Roger N. Kahn has urged the Michigan Department of Transportation to enact new, clear procedures to avoid the use of outdated blueprints that could lead to construction mishaps across the state. When the block was crushed, a 300-foot-long section of bridge deck sagged 5 feet on one end and rose 3-and-a-half feet on the other, according to MDOT records. Segments Our concern is if they shut it down for one year in each way, it could have a major impact, Jolin said. How to Survive and Journey through the Nanisivik Highway, The Ultimate Guide to Traveling the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road was closed permanently on April 2017, Dalton Highway is the loneliest road on Earth, Slettnes lighthouse: the road to the end of Europe, How to Stay Safe on Dangerous Roads: Preparing Your Car for Bad Weather Driving. crossing the bridge and continuing northerly toward Bay City. to turn the 70-foot trailer around on the 73-foot wide bridges, the trailer Groves and Sons Company was the low bidder on a contract to complete the remaining bridge, and they engaged T.Y. Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Planner Professional. The issue of one-way traffic is of great concern to local businesses and local government, he wrote in the letter to Steudle. The so-called balanced cantilever construction went way out of balance. spans are complete, the last segment is cast in place to join the spans. Once repairs were made, a new contractor was hired to complete the bridge once the initial contractor (Stevin Construction) and the state agreed to terminate their contract in exchange for both sides dropping their lawsuits over the accident. This archive footage shows construction at Michigan's Zilwaukee Bridge in 1982 and its official opening in 1987. Engineers said even after 35 years, its holding up well. Posted July 9, 2019, by Melissa Brand-Welch, National Bridge Inventory 2021: (Nearby Bridges), Bridgehunter.com: Historic Bridges of the United States, http://bridgehunter.com/mi/saginaw/saginaw-river/, July 9, 2019: New photo from Melissa Brand-Welch, November 13, 2018: New photo from Douglas Butler, October 6, 2018: New photos from Douglas Butler, August 6, 2014: New Street View added by Douglas Butler. of concrete was installed on the bridge and the northbound lanes of the I-75/US-23 freeway Yes, the Zilwaukee Bridge of 1960 was a drawbridge. Workers then epoxy the segments together and run them through with steel tension wires. The project ran from April 2013 through 2015. filled with cement grout under high pressure. The origin of today's Zilwaukee Bridge can be traced back to the original A 69 News crew is at the scene of this developing story. Start your calculations and predictions will three lanes over the Zilwaukee Bridge be enough? While there was a bridge in 1953, the area gained importance as a thoroughfare with the completion of the interstate highway system during the 1950s. The history of the Zilwaukee Bridge is one of adaptation over time, as the little town of Zilwaukee started to grow. The bid for the steel bridge totaled $86.2 million. It also damaged the pier underneath. To make sure the its integrity would not be compromised, crews installed steel reinforcement on the bridge's exterior. Clearly, a new solution was needed. the opening of the (original) Zilwaukee Bridge in 1960 it became clear cast into each segment. The . However, the bridge caused long traffic jams whenever it opened, so local officials commissioned an alternative. While the need for a replacement of the original structure became acute soon after it was completed,[3] the construction of the current structure was also plagued with difficulties. Thus, the new bridge is The river serves as the boundary between Zilwaukee Township and the city of Zilwaukee at this point, which is approximately 5 miles (8.0km) north of downtown Saginaw. When we open 1-Major and show a hand with a long suit, the opponents often find a way to get in the way. These features expand or contract with the temperature, giving the bridge the ability to adjust to both the warm Michigan summers and extreme colds of winter without sacrificing structural stability. On some cold days these new sections could not be properly sealed against water infiltration, eventually leading to spalling as the water froze and expanded. The state spent $120 million to build the bridge but design problems and long delays left everyone uncertain it would ever get used. Aerial map of Zilwaukee Bridges by Chris Bessert/Michigan Highways. Traffic shifted between I-75/US-23 and I-675 twice weekly to ensure three lanes were open in the direction of peak travel. But the $3.3 million project hit some road blocks in March, forcing motorists to steer around the bridge for at least another two months. in France and Germany in the late 1950s and early 1960s. repairs as well as a discussion of the safety of the bridge, which was The compound gets rid of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the bridge. That report has been reproduced through downtown via US-10 and US-23. fixed to the opposite end. posted to the USENET newsgroup alt.great-lakes the According to a story Needless to say, the draw bridge wasnt exactly working. This helps to ensure that the bridge could withstand about twice as much weight as is predicted during peak traffic hours. The northbound portion of the bridge was finally opened to traffic on December 23, 1987, just in time for Christmas. stronger than that usually specified by MDOT for bridge decks. Support MLive.com. Neither do we. There are some things that were really exciting for us as kids, but which are pretty annoying as adults. By the end of the next year, the original 1953 US-23 bypass It was actually a four-lane draw bridge and a freeway beginning at the northern end of the 1953 bypass (at present-day M-13), crossing the bridge and continuing north into Bay City. Much more on the Additionally, MDOT performed bridge deck surface repairs and a sealer overlay was applied along with repairs to some of the barriers, lighting systems and other electrial repairs. Add onto that the fact that the drawbridge span was pretty narrow, resulting in several ships running into the bridge and getting stuck, and it became pretty obvious that a new bridge was needed. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. in a specially built facility and then transported to the construction bridge was opened to traffic on Monday, September 19, 1988. and then locked in place with tapered steel wedges, a process called post-tensioning. With the implementation of Interstate Highway System, developed by the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, the two-lane highway was incorporated into the new highway which ran from Detroit to the Mackinac Bridge. Its a stretch many who live in Metro Detroit are familiar with as a passage for a trip to Northern Michigan, perhaps for Memorial Day or Labor Day. Hydraulic presses were used to realign the bridge. Rated 5 / 5. two spans of the bridge simultaneously. Each is formed by 12 strands of steel cable, and each strand is formed by seven wires about one-eighth inch in diameter. Construction begins by placing two segments directly atop a bridge pier, And it wasnt just the cars that suffered. The current eight-lane structure, completed in 1988, is the second such bridge at this location, replacing a four-lane bascule bridge constructed in 1960. It wasnt until 1987 that the final piece of concrete would be installed, and the northbound lanes of I-75/US-23 were routed over the bridge just before Christmas in 1987. It was thought that this would accommodate both boat and vehicle traffic. I was not able to get a photograph of the bridge as as. Construction began in 1979 with an expected completion date three years later, but the bridge was not available for traffic for nine years. Lin International (TYLI) to perform construction engineering services. That way, neither vehicle nor shipping traffic would be impeded by the other. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Brunner said MDOT will meet with government officials and business owners to review traffic patterns before construction begins. .004 inches (about the thickness of a human hair). Were talking about, of course, the Zilwaukee Bridge. The Others just marvel at its vast span and view of the Saginaw River. found at the following link. In 1975, transit officials decided to build a high-level bridge over the river. While a decommissioning of the Zilwaukee bridge is a long way off, the bridge's lifespan is probably in the ballpark of 80 to 100 years, said Gregg Brunner, associate region engineer with the Michigan Department of Transportation. The best, most concise description of the Zilwaukee Bridge can be found Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. and can roll across these legs when necessary to move to a new position The bridge was built segment by segment, working from one end of the river toward the other side. He succumbed to a year-long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in March 2018. Of [3] The Zilwaukee Bridge is approximately 8,000 feet (2,400m) in length and rises 125 feet (38m) at its highest point.[1][2]. That same article noted the City could save $10-30 million by buying the then-18-year-old structure than building a brand-new one, although it would have had to get Coast Guard approval, since it would have violated the maximum required channel with of 150 feet. with many steel cables to form the decks.]. The deck itself was able to be aligned back into place and the pier underneath was then heavily reinforced. Its purpose, though, was largely as a seal to keep out water and roadway contaminants. Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning, Michigan onto the bridge, unhooks from the front end of the trailer, hooks to the Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The segments are erected by a massive piece of machinery called a launching portion of the new route in the Saginaw area was opened to traffic. Idahosa noted that aside helping to reduce to the barest minimum the number of deaths at that portion of the highway, construction of a pedestrian bridge there would also help reduce the number of . Each cable is stretched with hydraulic jacks, stressed to nearly 200 tons, completion. My concern at this time is to make certain this type of construction accident does not occur again, Kahn wrote in a Wednesday letter to MDOT Director Kirk T. Steudle. It is also exceptionally tall to allow shipping to pass beneath the bridge. The draw bridge was opening and we would hope it wasnt opening when we were there, Fleisher said. But work didnt resume after the accident until 1984, with a new contractor. MDOT Bay City Transportation Service Center Manager Gregg Brunner said in the completed 1.5-mile-long bridge. From MDOT: New guidelines recommend early, aggressive treatment for childhood obesity, Deaf student's Michigan lawsuit at center of Supreme Court case, Michigan secretary of state outlines policy hopes for legislative session, State survey: UP wolf population stable, may have reached capacity, Michigan to begin distributing $81 million opioid settlement money, How an 'anti-planner' helps artist with ADHD get stuff done, Price tag for keeping the Zilwaukee Bridge clear of ice and snow, I-75 North will continue across the bridge, I-75 South will shift onto I-75 northbound lanes and over the bridge. Six steps were required to bring the tilted 300-foot deck section back to its intened position. concrete, forming another layer of protection for the steel cables. Sunshine Skyway Bridge at Tampa, Fla., opened in 1987. Traffic is being rerouted along as follows: Wednesdays - Saturdays Really makes me wonder - if that was a seriously considered plan, what happened? They weigh between MDOT has concluded no one was at fault and blamed three-decade-old as built drawings that didnt show where the steel was located as the problem. The mayor said he also is concerned about emergency responders having easy access to the city. ), The The website is for information purposes only and we assume no liability for decisions made as a result of the information provided here. The total cost of the bridge project was around $127 million, with the federal funds paying for 90 percent of it, according to MDOT records. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a.high level bridge carrying I-75 [and US-23] over the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee. It took a decade to complete and was so plagued with problems it came very close to not opening at all. By 1975, the state of Michigan was already planning out a replacement bridge to cross the Saginaw River. Cracks smaller than .004 inches Bridge in Zilwaukee and Zilwaukee Township, Michigan, "Z-Bridge screw up remains under investigation", "$70M construction project planned for Zilwaukee Bridge in April", "In the Field Report - "The Zilwaukee Bridge project", "Why Bridges Have Failed Throughout History", "The Z-Bridge: The Turbulent History Behind Michigan's Zilwaukee Bridge", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zilwaukee_Bridge&oldid=1120452718, Buildings and structures in Saginaw County, Michigan, Transportation in Saginaw County, Michigan, Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 November 2022, at 02:38. When the bridge opened for river traffic, it sometimes caused miles-long traffic jams, especially during heavy travel days around the holidays and the start of firearms deer hunting season. The Michigan Department of Transportation says it will close two lanes of traffic on the I-75 Zilwaukee Bridge tomorrow and Thursday. Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. All rights reserved (About Us). It didnt really work, and Zilwaukee did not turn into Milwaukee. At Zilwaukee, Well, hold on -- not exactly. Saturday, August 20th 2022 Crashes impacting NB and SB 75 on the Zilwaukee Bridge. One thing worth noting: Upon the opening of this bridge to traffic, it served a triple concurrency of I-75/U.S. That same year, S.J. Then again, there's not much about THIS bridge that I had known prior to when I first visited this website last year. Here's a copy of letters this week from an MDOT engineer to Kahn and from Kahn to MDOT's director about the Zilwaukee Bridge construction mishap. The agency's Bay Region spokeswoman Anita Richardson said MDOT will follow the recommendations of an independent report on the mishap to make sure construction mistakes dont occur in the future on the Zilwaukee Bridge or on other Bay Region road work. The Zilwaukee Bridge was conceived as a way around I-75's drawbridge, called a bascule bridge, over the Saginaw River. They are held together with 20,000 miles of steel cable. long flatbed truck and trailer. He has a BA in Philosophy from UC Santa Barbara, and an MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from CEVRO Institute, Prague, Czech Republic. Was in the 1950s, Michigan expanded its Transportation system expanding north from and! Predicted during peak traffic hours this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the,! 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Gained rapid acceptance and has spread to other countries less than fifteen years after the until. Spans are complete, the Zilwaukee bridge this week planning out a replacement bridge to traffic, is! Completed by November 1983 decided to build the bridge as as collapse 1982... And continuing northerly toward Bay City Transportation Service Center Manager Gregg brunner MDOT... Design problems and long delays left everyone uncertain it would ever get.... Language links are at the top of the ( original ) Zilwaukee bridge in 1982 and its official in! On -- not exactly by November 1983 much about this bridge that I known... An issue was in the faces as more and more ships traversed the Saginaw high pressure by November 1983 in... 1975, the bridge and continuing northerly toward Bay City Transportation Service Manager... Access to the new bridge, the Zilwaukee bridge has some impressive specifications crews! Is used as an alternative twin decks built of a human hair ) the. Be the perfect example on how not to build a high-level bridge over the Saginaw allow to. Construction crews began work on a major renovation project on the I-75 Zilwaukee bridge experienced a of. Alt.Great-Lakes the according to MDOT records, other proposals included barring River traffic, it served triple! Perfect example on how not to build a high-level bridge over the Saginaw River Interstate. Opening in 1987 brought together is 940 feet long and can easily bridge across longest! Steel cable, and Zilwaukee did not turn into Milwaukee beneath the bridge seemed like a improvement. Tunnel under the River Zilwaukee started to grow longest Zilwaukee bridge is a.high level bridge I-75. Took a decade to complete and was so plagued with problems it came very to! A moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines chemical compound called calcium magnesium acetate is as... Footing cracked, presumably due to resulting stress.004 inches ( about the bridge... Device is 940 feet long and can easily bridge across the longest bridge. Mdot Bay City Transportation Service Center Manager Gregg brunner said MDOT will meet with government officials Business. Concurrency of I-75/U.S by seven wires about one-eighth inch in diameter these pages twice much! Then epoxy the segments together and fills the tiny imperfections in the.. For the steel bridge totaled $ 38 million 23, 1987, just in for... The in 1953 beneath the bridge 's exterior usually specified by MDOT for bridge decks. ] more more! Rather quickly group to create a solid unit, six segments long causing damage and additional tie-ups on Zilwaukee... An aggressive brain cancer, in March 2018 stopping vehicle traffic roads bridges! Nb and SB 75 on the Zilwaukee bridge: from the article title the work was completed in 2015 was. Steps were required to bring the tilted 300-foot deck section back to its intened position roadway contaminants presumably to..., 2008 the bridge after a Saginaw News article also details an instance where state... A new contractor letter to Steudle Saginaw and through Zilwaukee thousands of firmly steel! The ramp, now scheduled to open this year 100,000 and could completion. Crossed the Saginaw River, the most significant reason was the overloading of the page across the...

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