US-23 bascule bridge in Cheboygan to be raised, roadway closed April 13 due to flooding

Fast facts:

•        While engineers monitoring the US-23 bascule bridge have not yet found significant erosion around the bridge’s foundation, increased water flow in the river has the potential to scour the river sediment away from those footings.
•        If debris from upstream of the bridge were to be caught beneath it, the change in water flow could cause additional erosion.
•        Vehicle occupants and pedestrians on the bridge could be at risk if the Cheboygan Lock and Dam complex were to fail.

GAYLORD, Mich. - To protect against potential damage from debris flowing down the Cheboygan River, and to keep vehicle occupants and pedestrians safe, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will raise the US-23 bascule bridge in Cheboygan, and close it to roadway traffic. The bridge is tentatively planned to be raised on Monday, April 13.

While engineers monitoring the bridge have not yet found significant erosion around the bridge’s foundation, increased water flow in the river has the potential to scour the river sediment away from those footings. The bridge, which was built in 1940, is considered scour critical, meaning its foundation is susceptible to erosive water flow during flood events.

If debris from upstream of the bridge were to be caught beneath it, the change in water flow could cause additional erosion. Additionally, vehicle occupants and pedestrians on the bridge could be at risk if the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex were to fail.

On Friday, April 10, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Cheboygan County due to rising water levels at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex. 

During the closure, US-23 traffic will be detoured south to the Lincoln Avenue Bridge, which is upstream from the dam complex. There is no timeline for reopening the US-23 bascule bridge, which will need to be inspected before it can be opened.

An operator from the Cheboygan County Road Commission has been on site, ready to open the bridge in an emergency if needed. MDOT staff are in Cheboygan and are staying in close contact with local emergency management leadership, along with the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Dimondale.

By declaring a state of emergency, the governor has authorized the use of all available state resources to assist local response and recovery operations in the affected county. 

The Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD) is coordinating the state’s emergency response through the SEOC.

The declaration also allows eligible communities to seek financial assistance under Section 19 of Michigan’s Emergency Management Act, Public Act 390 of 1976, as amended. The funding helps local governments cover emergency response costs and repair public infrastructure damaged by the storms.