Whitmore Lake's Main Street Bridge Is in Its Final Stretch. Here's What's Left Before It Reopens

New concrete beams now sit over the Horseshoe Lake Outlet where Main Street crosses between Jennings Road and Tillman Court. In early October, the Washtenaw County Road Commission posted a photo of those beams as a milestone. Foundation work was finished and the new structure's beams were in position. Three months after the old bridge came down, it finally looks like a bridge again.

Main Street is still closed, though. The work left to do is short to list. It is also the work tied to a finish date that has already moved more than once since spring.

A 1920 crossing at the end of its life

The bridge being replaced was built in 1920. Northfield Township's summary of the Road Commission's May information meeting said it was "at the end of its service life." The old bridge had a concrete deck with an asphalt overlay and a separate sidewalk on the west side. The new one is being built as a concrete deck with the sidewalk attached.

The project's estimated cost is about $2.2 million. According to the same township summary, 80 percent comes from the Local Agency Bridge Program and 20 percent from Michigan Transportation Funds. For a project this size, the time it takes matters to the people who drive through every day, and so does the money.

How the finish date has moved

Every estimate below came from the Road Commission, the township, or local news. Read in order, they tell the story of the project.

Utility work came first and pushed the start back about two weeks. The Road Commission then closed the bridge on July 8. If you add the "approximately 4 months" from the Road Commission's June 16 update to a July start, you land in the first half of November. That fits the mid-November estimate in WCRC's June 30 notice. WHMI's August 1 report still described an October target, so the sources disagreed even in midsummer.

The most recent official word is the mid-November estimate, and the Road Commission calls it tentative and weather-dependent. Neither of the October updates offered a new date.

What's done, and what's still ahead

The summer's work happened mostly out of sight, below the waterline. The Road Commission's project page records each stage.

• Late July. A temporary access road for Jennings Road was built inside the site, and the old bridge was fully removed.
• Late August. A cofferdam, which is a watertight enclosure, was installed so crews could excavate and pump water out to build foundations.
• Early October. All foundation work was finished and the new beams were set.

As of WHMI's October 12 update, three steps remained before Main Street could reopen:

1. Installing deck forms and steel reinforcement
2. Pouring the concrete deck
3. Building the road approaches on each side

None of the public updates gave a date for the concrete pour. That pour is the next milestone to watch. Once the deck is in, only the approaches are left between the closure and a reopened Main Street.

Getting around until it opens

The official detour sends drivers to US-23, using the Six Mile Road and Eight Mile Road exits. The Road Commission's notices also link a detour map that shows the route.

Six Mile Road has its own closure this fall. Northfield Township is replacing a culvert on Six Mile between Raphael Street and Turnberry Drive. When WHMI reported the start in late September, the estimate was roughly five weeks, depending on weather. WCRC's October 19 update said crews dammed the stream, removed the old culvert, and set the new box culvert during the week of October 12. Wingwall installation was being finished before backfill and gravel work, and Six Mile was still closed.

The two projects run separately. For now, though, the township has two road closures going at once, and one of them is on a road that shares its name with a detour exit. If your usual route uses Six Mile near Raphael or Turnberry, check the WCRC culvert update before you head out.

Who the closure reaches

A bridge closure is more than a longer drive to work. It also cuts walking routes and makes short errands harder for people without a car.

Northfield Township saw that this summer. WHMI reported on September 1 that the closure had limited some clients' access to the Whitmore Lake Area Human Services food pantry. In response, People's Express began a temporary shuttle on Food Pantry Tuesdays. It picks up at the Northfield Township Community Center, 9101 Main St., in the rear parking lot at 11:15 a.m., and also serves Northfield Estates and nearby neighborhoods. The shuttle runs for as long as the bridge project lasts, provided people keep riding it.

The sidewalk matters here too. The old bridge carried its sidewalk as a separate structure on the west side. The new design puts the walkway on the same concrete deck. Once it opens, people on foot along Main Street will have a crossing built into the bridge itself.

Main Street, still open for business

The bridge is closed, but the shops and services along Main Street are still running. Northfield Township's business directory lists several Main Street addresses that are part of everyday life around the lake:

• Dee's Place, a specialty food and ice cream spot at 9876 Main St.
• Club Whit, a dock and marina at 9725 Main St.
• Driftwood Marina, at 9594 Main St.
• Domino's, at 9567 Main St.

Northfield Community Park is also on Main Street, at 9641 Main St. The township describes it as 23 acres of lakefront property beside the Whitmore Lake Post Office, and its park plan includes a link to a Main Street crosswalk. Depending on which side of the outlet you start from, reaching any of these places may now mean a short trip on US-23. They are all still there.

Halloween weekend, closure and all

The bridge won't reopen in time for Halloween, but the township's calendar goes on. Northfield Township lists a Halloween Fun Run on Saturday, October 31, at 10 a.m., with trick-or-treat hours starting at 5 p.m. that evening. The recreation department's booking calendar shows the 5K at the outdoor track from 9 to 11 a.m. If you plan to run, confirm the start time with the township first.

If your trick-or-treat route crosses the outlet, plan for the detour or pick a loop that stays on one side of the bridge.

Where to watch for the reopening

The Road Commission posts updates on its Main St Bridge Replacement page. Each update is numbered, and the project page offers email updates for the project. The project manager listed for public questions is Kevin Dubnicki, reachable at (734) 327-6693.

The next update to watch for is word of the deck pour. When it comes, the mid-November estimate from the June notice will have either held up or moved again. Until then, Main Street stays closed at the Horseshoe Lake Outlet and the detour stays on US-23.

When Main Street reconnects, the walk from one end of town to the other gets easier, and so do plenty of other everyday trips. If you're thinking about how changes like this affect a home on either side of the outlet, Sage Premier Real Estate is glad to talk it through with you, honestly and without pressure, whenever you're ready.