The Ottawa Street Bridge was built between 1926 and 1932, closing to vehicles ten years ago due to structural issues.
“There's holes in the steel girders underneath the bridge that shouldn't be there. There's chunks of concrete that have fallen off and fallen into the river below and so there really is no alternative to removing the bridge.”
Dan VanderHeide, Director of Public Works, says at the City of Muskegon’s request, the Michigan Department of Transportation is leading and funding the bridge’s removal, saving residents money.
But in 2022, the bridge was determined as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, triggering years of mandatory studies to justify the removal.
“The bridge is of a pretty standard type that was built in a lot of different places around 1930 and so it is old certainly and it did once serve as the bridge that carried the prior version of US-31 through town, but for the most part, there's really not much historic about that bridge.”
VanderHeide acknowledges some residents are concerned about the loss of pedestrian access to nearby Richards Park.
“We're sympathetic with that but this bridge is not designed for that and it's reached the end of its life. If there is a strong desire or need for pedestrian access to Richard Park over the river, the city can certainly look at that and plan for that.”
Residents can review current plans for the bridge removal and offer comment at a public open house January 13 from 3–5 PM at Muskegon City Hall.
For a weekly dose of news right to your inbox, sign up for the WGVU newsletter.
