AASHTO Journal, 17 July 2015
The Michigan Department of Transportation said it will replace a pedestrian overpass bridge in Detroit that was destroyed last September by an over-height truck strike, with the help of about $2.9 million in Federal Highway Administration emergency funds.
The accident, which left the truck driver dead, pulled the bridge down onto the Southfield Freeway (M-39) and closed that busy route for hours.
The state agency said the project began July 13 and will be completed this autumn. Crews will remove concrete from the old bridge and add new supports, and that underground work will involve disabling roadway cameras and electronic message signs.
The replacement bridge will also include aesthetic improvements, MDOT said, including “decorative crosswalks and other community-developed enhancements, American with Disabilities Act improvements and pedestrian lights to make the bridge more useful than the previous one.”
