sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com
ALPENA The Bagley Street Bridge was designed to handle traffic and pedestrian trends of the time it was built in 1976.
Beginning Feb.1, the bridge will be closed and reconstructed to meet the needs of today and the future, Alpena County Road Commission Managing Director Ryan Brege said.
The bridge is expected to be closed until late December for the $10.3 million project. Funding for the project includes money from the Michigan Department of Transportation, the federal government, and a Road Commission match.
Brege described the bridge as functionally obsolete, requiring large amounts of work. He said the bridge fit the needs of the community for many years, but, when it was built, the M-32 corridor had little to no development and Bagley Street was rarely used.