 |
|
|
FOX 66 News at Ten
Tough Questions: Expand I-75 or repair bridges?
Talk of expanding I-75 in Saginaw County for holiday and summer travel is on the minds of drivers across Mid-Michigan, but the state already has thousands of bridges that are in bad condition.
So why is the Michigan Department of Transportation planning on spending big bucks on widening a local highway instead of fixing old bridges?
"We had a number of residents attend and we were able to answer their questions regarding the project," said MDOT spokesperson Anita Richardson.
Richardson is talking about a public meeting held earlier this week by MDOT to discuss a proposed reconstruction project on I-75. Richardson says the project would expand to four lanes in both directions from Dixie Highway in Bridgeport to Hess Road in Buena Vista Township. The project woundn't begin until 2015.
After Wednesday's meeting, WNEM TV5 patrons wanted to know why expanding the interstate was such a priority when there are still bridges like the one at King Road and I-75 that still need to be fixed.
"Shouldn't every dollar be made available to fix the bridges first before you go into expanding I-75?" asked TV5's James Felton of Richarson.
"We have a team of engineers and they're busy every day, both inspecting our bridges to make sure that we keep them safe and also making sure that we're looking at congestion and mobility issues, to make sure that we make the maximum use of the resources available to make travel on Michigan highways efficient," responded Richardson.
MDOT says the King Road bridge is scheduled to be replaced in 2015.
Richardson says MDOT has increased funding for bridge repair by $8 million over the last five years. But according to the latest state highway bridge report, there are 17 bridges in Saginaw County that are structurally deficient. According to the same report, 22 more bridges are functionally obsolete, which means they no longer meet the federally mandated design codes.
"We are committed to making sure we are repairing these bridges, but we've got quite a job ahead of us to make sure that that's done," said Richardson.
Richardson says the state's aging infrastructure is making it tough for crews to keep up, but she wants all motorists to know the bridges they encounter are safe.
"If a bridge is in such a condition that it poses a safety hazard to the public, we will close that bridge," said Richardson.
Copyright WNEM 2012 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
Talk of expanding I-75 in Saginaw County for holiday and summer travel is on the minds of drivers across Mid-Michigan, but the state already has thousands of bridges that are in bad condition.
So why is the Michigan Department of Transportation planning on spending big bucks on widening a local highway instead of fixing old bridges?
"We had a number of residents attend and we were able to answer their questions regarding the project," said MDOT spokesperson Anita Richardson.
Richardson is talking about a public meeting held earlier this week by MDOT to discuss a proposed reconstruction project on I-75. Richardson says the project would expand to four lanes in both directions from Dixie Highway in Bridgeport to Hess Road in Buena Vista Township. The project woundn't begin until 2015.
After Wednesday's meeting, WNEM TV5 patrons wanted to know why expanding the interstate was such a priority when there are still bridges like the one at King Road and I-75 that still need to be fixed.
"Shouldn't every dollar be made available to fix the bridges first before you go into expanding I-75?" asked TV5's James Felton of Richarson.
"We have a team of engineers and they're busy every day, both inspecting our bridges to make sure that we keep them safe and also making sure that we're looking at congestion and mobility issues, to make sure that we make the maximum use of the resources available to make travel on Michigan highways efficient," responded Richardson.
MDOT says the King Road bridge is scheduled to be replaced in 2015.
Richardson says MDOT has increased funding for bridge repair by $8 million over the last five years. But according to the latest state highway bridge report, there are 17 bridges in Saginaw County that are structurally deficient. According to the same report, 22 more bridges are functionally obsolete, which means they no longer meet the federally mandated design codes.
"We are committed to making sure we are repairing these bridges, but we've got quite a job ahead of us to make sure that that's done," said Richardson.
Richardson says the state's aging infrastructure is making it tough for crews to keep up, but she wants all motorists to know the bridges they encounter are safe.
"If a bridge is in such a condition that it poses a safety hazard to the public, we will close that bridge," said Richardson.
Copyright WNEM 2012 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 11:04 AM EDT
National News Headlines
| Construction worker killed in collapse of Maryland mall parking deck |
A parking garage partially collapsed Thursday outside a shopping mall in suburban Maryland, and officials said one construction worker died after being trapped under a concrete slab. |
| 5.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Northern California |
An earthquake has struck Northern California's Plumas County with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7. |
| 5.7-magnitude earthquake shakes Northern Calif |
| An earthquake has struck Northern California's Plumas County with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7. |
| Utah boy, 15, arrested in deaths of two younger brothers |
A teenager was arrested Thursday in the deaths of his two younger brothers, ages 4 and 10, at the family home in a Utah subdivision of new houses and tidy lawns, police said. |
| Highway bridge collapses in Washington state; people in water |
The Washington State Patrol says the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River at Mount Vernon has collapsed, dumping vehicles and people into the water. |
| 2 dead in drugstore shootings in Tennessee |
| An East Tennessee pharmacy owner and a customer have been killed during a robbery that left a pharmacy tech and another employee wounded. |
| FBI arrest 37-year-old man in Washington state ricin letter investigation |
The FBI has arrested a suspect in a case involving the discovery of a pair of letters containing the deadly poison ricin and says investigators are working "around the clock" to address any remaining risks. |
| RI education board approves arming university cops |
| State education officials have approved allowing the University of Rhode Island to arm its campus police officers. |
| Defense releases photos, texts of Trayvon Martin |
| Data released Thursday by the defense from slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin's cellphone includes texts with a friend about fighting, smoking pot and being forced to move out of his mother's house because of trouble at school, as well as photos of a gun and what looks to be a potted marijuana plant. |
| Judge declares mistrial in penalty phase of Jodi Arias trial |
The judge in the Jodi Arias murder trial declared a mistrial in the penalty phase Thursday after the jury reported for a second time that it was deadlocked on whether to sentence her to life in prison or death for killing her boyfriend in 2008. |
News at Ten Stories
 |
|
|
News Videos
IE6 Float Fix
