Fast facts:
- MDOT is reviewing critical unfunded infrastructure needs across the state, including more than 100 state trunkline bridges at risk of closure by 2035 if policymakers don't act soon.
- The westbound I-94 bridge over M-140 in Watervliet is in danger of closing by 2035 if not rebuilt, which would impact more than 43,000 motorists who rely on this corridor each day.
- Statewide, these bridge closures will have a daily impact on more than 1.8 million drivers and the roadways they serve.
- Without a comprehensive transportation funding package, MDOT estimates the capital highway program will support about 2,800 fewer construction jobs in 2026 than the current year.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - As the 2025 construction season moves into its final stages, officials with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) are looking ahead to the end of service lives for critical roads and bridges. MDOT is highlighting this need in a video news release about the I-94 bridge over M-140 in Watervliet, ahead of important discussions among policymakers, as the future of road and bridge funding hangs in the balance.
About two-thirds of MDOT's bridge inventory has far exceeded their original design lives. MDOT now faces the possibility of more than 100 trunkline bridges closing to traffic by the year 2035, impacting approximately 1.8 million drivers daily if a comprehensive transportation funding package isn't secured. While maintaining quality roads is a priority for MDOT, bridge conditions, especially, must meet a minimum rating to remain safe and open to the public.
The westbound I-94 bridge over M-140 in Watervliet, Berrien County, is no exception to the aging bridge epidemic. Originally built in 1960 when there was no freeway, MDOT performed a bridge deck overlay and replaced the railings in 1981, generally considered a 20-year fix. The bridge has been rated in poor condition since 1998 and is inspected every 12 months to ensure motorist and pedestrian safety, and structure stability.
Tim Sutherland, Watervliet police chief and city manager, said the bridge supports all commerce coming in and out of the city, and local businesses rely on access from I-94. The closure of this I-94 corridor would result in an economic loss for the state of approximately $190,000 each day. If weight restrictions had to be placed on the bridge, or if it were closed for safety reasons, traffic would require a 7-mile detour, resulting in direct economic impact on the Watervliet area.
In MDOT's Southwest Region's seven counties, 12 bridges are currently listed in poor condition, with three at risk of closure by 2035. Closing the I-94 bridge over M-140 would impact more than 43,000 vehicles each day. Replacement of the bridge is estimated at about $12.5 million.
There are an additional 137 bridges in the region that could be closed by 2045, impacting more than 1.6 million motorists.
Bridges can take an average of two years to replace, once closed to the public. While bridge replacements are expensive initially, they are considered a long-term asset and are now designed with an 80 to 100-year service life.
"At this rate, by decade's end, nearly 50 percent of state routes, which carry 53 percent of total traffic and 80 percent of commercial traffic, will be in poor condition," said MDOT Director Bradley C. Wieferich. "Without additional investment, those projections will get worse."
"If there is no long-term solution to Michigan’s road-funding crisis, considerable progress in recent years will be stalled, meaning contractors will employ fewer workers and road conditions will decline," said Michigan's Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) Director Susan Corbin. "The effects would spread across industries and communities, causing job losses, shrinking economic activity and creating long-term challenges for Michigan's workers and families."
During a recent Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Rebecca Curtis, MDOT's director of the Bureau of Bridges and Structures (BOBS), shared the reasoning behind the rapidly declining bridge conditions statewide. Curtis explained that most of the state's bridge inventory was built in the 1950s and designed with a 50 to 60-year service life. Because most bridges were built in the same decade, the structures have aged in sync.
As MDOT works to continue addressing declining road and bridge conditions, securing a comprehensive road funding package is becoming more critical. Following the conclusion of the Rebuilding Michigan bond funding program, MDOT will see a decrease of more than half the annual reconstruction budget, bringing the yearly investment for rebuilding roads from $495 million per year to just $222 million per year, and supporting about 2,800 fewer construction jobs in 2026.
