Commercial trucks carrying loads over posted legal limit have damaged the US-131 overpass bridges at 144th and 146th Avenues in northern Allegan County three times in one year: December 2024, August 2025 and November 2025.
“They were smacked into, they damaged the beam, they damaged part of the deck, the barrier wall, the retaining wall. Basically, it's a beam replacement project. But it's still pretty extensive - $1,400,000 worth of damage to these two bridges.”
Michigan Department of Transportation spokesperson John Richard says there isn’t money in the budget to raise the height of the bridges, but there are multiple signs posted and it’s incumbent on licensed commercial truck drivers to make sure their loads meet the limits of their routes.
“You better know the height of those bridges because that's the whole point of that permit process. If you have a load that is over a certain height, this permit process will let you know where you can and cannot go. It's extremely important to know how high your load is so you don't hit stuff.”
MDOT crews will close the 144th Avenue overpass this week through October, with shorter closures on U.S. 131 throughout the project.
Tentative schedule:
8/18-10/30 – Closure of 144th over 131.
8/27 – 15 Minute TOTAL closures on NB 131 for beam setting at 144th.
8/28 – Full closure of SB 131 over a weekend for beam setting at 146th.
For a weekly dose of news right to your inbox, sign up for the WGVU newsletter.
