Ten-months post flood, Gov. Whitmer celebrates M-30 temporary bridge opening in Tobacco Township

Fast facts:
- Ten months ago, a 500-year flood event and infrastructure failures led to devastating road and bridge losses across five counties.
- The former M-30 causeway bridge at Wixom Lake was washed away during the May 2020 flood.
- Following the building of a temporary bridge, MDOT reopened M-30 over the Tobacco River to traffic on March 11.

March 19, 2020 -- Ten months following a devastating 500-year flood event paired with infrastructure failures, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer celebrated the opening of a temporary bridge structure replacing the former M-30 causeway bridge that was washed away.

The flood in May 2020 is estimated to have resulted in more than $100 million worth of damage to roads and bridges, including the M-30 causeway bridge that was washed away, and the M-30 bridge over the Tittabawassee River, less than a half-mile away, which required nearly $2 million in repairs to reopen to traffic. In total, flooding resulted in nearly 30 road and bridge closures across five counties and an emergency declaration from the governor to ensure federal funding would be made available for recovery.

"This is a great day, to see a bridge in place and have mobility restored for these communities," said Gov. Whitmer after touring the new bridge with MDOT staff. "I asked MDOT to make flood response a priority and rebuild these roads, and they delivered. To the people of these communities who have endured so much already, thank you for your patience."

The temporary bridge is a $4.3 million investment, allowing MDOT to reopen the road to traffic faster and more efficiently than through traditional means of bridge design and building. The temporary bridge is approximately 230 feet of prefabricated steel bridge components, installed near the bridge site and moved into place after assembly. The bridge includes deck panels with an epoxy coated driving surface already in place, allowing traffic to immediately use the bridge until spring when hot-mix asphalt plants reopen and the bridge can be fully paved.

"This bridge is the first of its kind used in the state of Michigan," said State Transportation Director Paul C. Ajegba. "We're very pleased to see this kind of innovation used to open an important corridor much faster. When the time comes, we will use this same bridge to maintain traffic during other projects around the state, helping to support mobility. That's a great use of tax dollars at work."

Both Edenville and Tobacco townships celebrated the bridge opening on March 11 with a short ceremony and bridge walk prior to opening the roadway to traffic.