M-13/M-84 (Lafayette Street) Bridge Replacement - Bay County

• Anticipated milestones
• In preparation for the work on the bridge, MDOT will be improving several roadways along the detour route, including resurfacing Wenona/Henry Street. A two-month window is planned for the work on Wenona/Henry Street detour prior to work beginning on the bridge.

• The bridge will be closed to traffic and detoured.
  • Car detour route
  • Truck detour route
  • Pedestrian detour route
  • Bus detour route
    • Bay Metro Transit will provide transportation for Lafayette Avenue pedestrians once the detour is in place. Customers will need to contact MDOT’s Bay City Transportation Service Center at 989-671-1555 to request bus tickets.
• Traffic will be detoured via M-13 and Wenona/Henry Street west of the Saginaw River to M-25 (Veterans Memorial Bridge) and M-84 east of the river. Drivers may also opt to detour via M-13 and I-75 over the Zilwaukee Bridge to the south of Bay City.
• The Middleground Island will remain accessible from Salzburg Avenue on the west side of the river. The non-bascule portion of the bridge will remain open during this project.

The M-13/M-84 corridor bridge over the Saginaw River, otherwise referred to as the Lafayette Street Bridge, is in need of a full replacement. Originally constructed in 1938 (and rehabilitated in 1989) the bridge was programmed for replacement in 2020. The bridge replacement was postponed indefinitely when construction costs far exceeded original replacement estimates. MDOT began analyzing the potential of adjusting the footprint of the bridge or resorting to heavy bridge rehabilitation instead of the full replacement that was needed. In 2023 MDOT was awarded a $73 million federal grant, making the full bridge replacement a reality.