May 10 virtual public meeting scheduled for late 2023 US-31 Charlevoix bascule bridge repairs, road and trail impacts

GAYLORD, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) invites the public to attend a virtual public meeting to gather comments on planned repairs to the US-31 bascule bridge in Charlevoix in late 2023 and early 2024. This project will require temporary closure of the adjacent nonmotorized path, and several periods of significant detours for vehicular traffic.  

Who: 
Community stakeholders
Local businesses
Interested residents
MDOT staff

When:
Tuesday, May 10, 2022
5 - 6 p.m.

Where: 
Microsoft Teams Live virtual public meeting

How to attend a live event in Teams

Accessibility:
Accommodations can be made for persons who require mobility, visual, hearing, written, or other assistance for participation. Large print materials, auxiliary aids or the services of interpreters, signers, or readers are available upon request. Please contact Orlando Curry at 517-241-7462 or complete Form 2658 for American Sign Language (ASL) located on the Title VI webpage: www.Michigan.gov/MDOT/0,4616,7-151-9621_31783---,00.html. Requests should be made at least five days prior to the meeting date. Reasonable efforts will be made to provide the requested accommodation or an effective alternative, but accommodations may not be guaranteed.

Project information: 
MDOT plans to invest roughly $5.7 million to improve the US-31 bascule bridge over the Pine River in downtown Charlevoix. The proposed work includes temporarily supporting the bridge’s rolling girders and approximately 20,000 pounds of structural steel repairs.  

This work will require a combination of lane shifts and occasional nighttime detours for vehicles and pedestrians traveling on US-31. In addition, the nonmotorized paths under the bridge will be closed during work on the north and south sides of the channel.  

Work is tentatively scheduled to begin in December 2023 and will continue through April 2024. The roadway will be narrowed to two lanes (one in each direction) during most of the project. Currently, it is expected that traffic will need to be detoured 12 nights during the project, with some daytime detours possible. The bridge will not open for marine vessels in the channel January - March 2024, as allowed by the U.S. Coast Guard.  

During the project, updates will be posted on Mi Drive, shared on social media and in news releases, and posted on portable message signs.

Public comment: 
Public input is being sought to help MDOT recognize and address any public concerns that may result from the temporary full pathway closures per a proposed de minimis impact finding under Section 4(f) of U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966, and the significant detour for vehicular traffic at times. Please submit public comments by May 24, 2022, using the online comment form or by mail, e-mail or phone to MDOT Public Involvement Specialist and Hearings Officer Monica Monsma at MonsmaM@Michigan.gov or: 

Monica Monsma 
MDOT Environmental Services Section
425 West Ottawa St. 
P.O. Box 30050 
Lansing, MI 48909 
517-335-4381