Courtesy Photo Wolverine State Credit Union and staff presented a check for $3,000 to Friends Together’s Judy Burns and Shelly Gibbs as a part of the 2021 a
Alpena News editorial
Beginning Feb. 1, the Bagley Street Bridge will be closed for most of the rest of the year for a $10.3 million renovation project.
The bridge “was built for the needs of” the 1970s, when it was first erected, Alpena County Road Commission Managing Director Ryan Brege said. “Where we stand with it now, with Bagley Street being so important, it needs serious maintenance. We are essentially doubling the width of the bridge, and it will be more user-friendly for motorists and pedestrians.”
The project will force a large detour for motorists around Bagley, which will be closed from the Road Commission driveway, just north of the Wolverine State Credit Union, north to the Word of Life Baptist Church. Access to Burkholder Drive will be maintained.
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.