PONTIAC, Mich. – A long-delayed bridge project in Pontiac is finally showing signs of progress, and city officials say it will be finished by the end of the year.
The bridge on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which closed in 2022 after structural problems were discovered, has been a lingering frustration for some city residents.
Heavy equipment and construction crews are now a daily sight on the span, a welcome change for nearby residents.
“I’m really glad,” said Harriet Lance, who lives near the bridge.
The closing of the bridge, which Mayor Mike McGuinness said was built in the 1970s to alleviate traffic when the city had several factories, has forced drivers to have longer detours.
Lance said when the bridge was torn down, they were told it would start being rebuilt soon after. But she said following the repeated timeline changes for the new bridge, it raised doubts that it would ever reopen.
“I felt like we were being looked over,” Lance said.
Other residents echoed that frustration, saying the closure has added time and inconvenience to basic trips.
“Before I left Michigan, I could come from the east side of Pontiac straight to the hospital without having to go here, make a U-turn, and then go to the hospital,” said Walter Robinson, who also lives near the bridge.
Pontiac Mayor Mike McGuinness said the old bridge was demolished earlier this year.
He acknowledged the project has moved more slowly than many residents would like, but said this was because everything had to be right.
“We’re dealing with federal and state funds and, in particular, with the federal funds; if you start doing the work before the funds are fully OK’d and fully authorized, they won’t reimburse you,” McGuinness said. “So that was a major factor.”
Once the money was secured, the engineering design took about 36 weeks, McGuinness said.
Now that crews are on-site, nearby Robinson said the noise is a small price to pay.
He said the noise wakes him up daily, but he doesn’t mind because it means long-awaited progress is on the horizon.
McGuinness said the city expects the project to be completed by the end of this year, though there is still no firm reopening date for the bridge.
He mentioned the city received $10 million from the state for the project and over $4 million from the federal government.