Beams being removed from East Stadium Boulevard bridge over South State Street
Work starts today on the deteriorating East Stadium Boulevard bridge over South State Street.
For drivers, that means a detour until Tuesday as crews demolish and remove five beams over South State Street.
Last month, the Ann Arbor City Council agreed to take emergency action to address safety concerns with the bridge over South State Street.
Work begins today on the East Stadium Boulevard bridge over South State Street. Photo by Steve Pepple
From now until Tuesday, northbound and southbound South State Street will be detoured from Packard Road to Stimson Street.
According to the city, southbound South State Street traffic will be detoured along Packard Road to East Stadium Boulevard; along East Stadium Boulevard to South Industrial Highway; along South Industrial Highway to Stimson; and along Stimson to South State Street. Northbound South State Street traffic will be detoured along the same route.
Pedestrian traffic will not be allowed under the bridge during demolition and clean-up. Pedestrian traffic should use Henry Street eastbound to White Street; White Street northbound to Rose Avenue; and Rose Avenue westbound to South State Street.
The underside of the Stadium bridge where it crosses over State Street was deemed a potential danger after an engineering firm warned the city it's possible - though not likely - that "football sized" concrete could fall from the bridge, injuring anyone below.
The City Council agreed to spend up to $100,000 to remove five damaged beams and up to $340,000 to have DTE Energy relocate power lines as part of a bridge replacement project. Officials said they wanted to remove the beams before freezing weather when they could become more unstable.
Homayoon Pirooz, manager of the city's project management unit, told AnnArbor.com last month that after the demolition is complete, a portion of the bridge deck will no longer exist. City officials say a concrete barrier will need to be installed to prevent vehicles and pedestrians from entering the "gap" in the bridge deck on the south side of the bridge.
This week's work is a short-term fix. Ann Arbor officials laid out plans in August for a $22.1 million reconstruction of the two East Stadium Boulevard bridge spans over South State Street and the nearby railroad tracks, but funding has not been secured for that work.
Comments
tlb1201
Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 12:12 p.m.
As far as funding, I have not heard any mention of UM kicking in some money. Think of all of the traffic generated by the university on those streets and bridges and all of the benefit it receives from those streets and bridges. And think of all of the sports revenue that crosses them. How about a buck or two surcharge on sporting event tickets for the bridge replacement? Let's see, 108,000 tickets times $2 times 6 home games = close to $1.3 million per year. That means that some out-of-towners and out-of-staters would be paying for some of it in exchange for enjoying the amenities of our city. And maybe the city can scrap the plans for the downtown recycled urine-water feature and toss in that $850,000 for the bridges. Maybe a locally-designed water feature could be incorporated into the bridges and give us a nice artsy gateway to the city. Their stormwater has to go somewhere.
DaLast word
Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 12:09 p.m.
$5.00- Ya know some people are just stuborn, Candy. Don't you think the city could bring some presure to bear or certainly work out an aggreement. Anyway the city belongs to the tax payers and their voice should be heard load and clear.
Thick Candy Shell
Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 12:03 p.m.
And if it did happen, how much do you think the AARR should get in compensation for their property?
DaLast word
Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 12:01 p.m.
$5.00- Ya know some people are just stuborn, Candy. Don't you think the city could bring some presure to bear or certainly work out an aggreement. Anyway the city belongs to the tax payers and their voice should be heard load and clear.
Thick Candy Shell
Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 11:50 a.m.
And if it did happen, how much do you think the AARR should get in compensation for their property?
belboz
Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 11:27 a.m.
Well, it seems these days every contract is up for renegotiation, assuming that is the fundamental reason. I'd like the city to post that agreement if it is the case. It seems that State, Main, and several other roads are fully functional without a bridge for a train that is used twice a day. The reason to study the option is that it is cheaper.
DaLast word
Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 10:53 a.m.
How about building a bridge for the train, it's gotta be cheaper.
Thick Candy Shell
Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 10:13 a.m.
Why should the City waste money on a study for a non option????? The AARR will not let it happen plus they have an agreement signed when the bridge was built that it would be maintained as a bridge.
belboz
Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 8:35 a.m.
First, there was not a formal study completed. If there was, the city would know how much putting an at grade road in would cost. Second, are you talking about the rail crossing that is used just twice a day, during non business hours? There are 7 other locations for at grade rail crossings, one just being 200 yards away at State and Stadium. And, lastly, I didn't realize Ann Arbor put in bridges at intersections that had too much traffic. They should have done that at Jackson / Stadium when they re-did the road. The bottom line is, the city DID NOT complete a study - which is the point. There was NO community involvement, just an assumption that the bridge is needed. Nobody knows the cost savings because the city did not formally study it. Ask any of the council members how much an at grade road would cost. They do not know. I'll bet you it costs less to remove the dirt to make it an "At Grade" intersection than it has cost the city to put bandaid after bandaid on the bridge this year.
Thick Candy Shell
Sun, Nov 15, 2009 : 3:38 p.m.
Where is the rail crossing at Packard and Stadium?
Arboriginal
Sun, Nov 15, 2009 : 3:36 p.m.
More traffic volume than Packard/Stadium? Huh? Really? State is a two lane road at that point.
Thick Candy Shell
Sun, Nov 15, 2009 : 3:36 p.m.
For some reason, every non engineer believes they know better than the people who do it every day. An at grade crossing would cost about the same over the life of the bridge, which doesn't matter anyway. The Ann Arbor Rail Road owns the Right-of-Way and has the support of all of the Federal Rail laws. They are not going to allow any additional at grade crossings! There are millions of dollars being spent every year to eliminate at grade crossings - MDOT Local Grade Crossing Program is one example. I understand that now they run 2 and sometimes 4 trains per day, but what happens when gas gets back up in price. Fingerle Lumber used to have several trains come in to bring their lumber, could that be cost effective again if fuel is $5 per gallon? These are also the same people who believe the "Rails to Trails Program" means those trails will be forever. If the Rail wants that trail, say good bye cause they still own the R-O-W.
johnnya2
Sun, Nov 15, 2009 : 2:46 p.m.
Don't waste your breath explaining past studies. These people want the city to study and study and study to find out the solution that has worked for years, and then after years of fighting will end up costing millions more.
Ignatz
Sun, Nov 15, 2009 : 2:27 p.m.
belboz, what would be the cost differential should the city decide to redo the intersection as an at grade one? I suspect much of the savings would be eaten up by putting the grade of the ramps on either side of the bridge to the level of State St.
48104
Sun, Nov 15, 2009 : 2:05 p.m.
This gets covered every time an article on the bridge is posted. Past studies have shown that the traffic volume is too high for an at-grade crossing.
belboz
Sun, Nov 15, 2009 : noon
"This week's work is a short-term fix. Ann Arbor officials laid out plans in August for a $22.1 million reconstruction of the two East Stadium Boulevard bridge spans over South State Street and the nearby railroad tracks, but funding has not been secured for that work." Not the best plan - a $22 million project, but no money for it, and the bridge is falling apart. How about doing the quickest, cheapest thing and tear down the bridge, replacing with an at grade road. The city owns plenty of right of way at the intersection to install an intersection similar to packard / stadium. There is NO CRITICAL REASON to rebuild a bridge when police officers, teachers, auto workers, and so many others are losing jobs. Michigan does not have money to throw away, and spending money inneficiently on pork projects is not appropriate... www.annarborbridgetonowhere.com
Ignatz
Sun, Nov 15, 2009 : 11:22 a.m.
What's the purpose of these five beams? Will the removal impact the ability of the bridge to support weight?