East Stadium Boulevard Bridge repair not just shovel worthy, but shovel ready
Editor's note: U.S. Congressman John Dingell's office released this op-ed piece Friday:
For anyone that lives, works or travels through Ann Arbor, the crumbling concrete at East Stadium Boulevard Bridge is impossible to miss.
The bridge runs through the heart of Ann Arbor, connecting the commuters coming off US-23, M-14 and I-94 that go over or under each day during their drive to the University of Michigan, the driving force behind Ann Arbor’s economy. Every day more than 25,000 automobiles cross the bridge.
And in those cars are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, doctors and police officers - the greatest treasures Ann Arbor has. We need to do whatever we can to ensure the safety of our people and that means ensuring this bridge is safe and secure.
The call to repair or reconstruct this bridge is an important one. Currently, the bridge over State Street has a Federal Deficiency Rating of 2, indicating the poor condition of this structure and the serious hazard of keeping this bridge open. The City of Ann Arbor has already reduced the traffic lanes on the bridges from four to two for the public’s safety.
I have met with both city and university officials to better understand this problem and what must be done to address it, as has my staff, both in Michigan and DC. The city is going forward with targeted repairs of the bridge and I have requested funding for this project in the 2010 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill, and I am also attempting to secure funds in the upcoming Surface Transportation Authorization Act that I hope Congress will soon consider.
In addition to these efforts, I am strongly supporting the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant application, which the city has submitted to the Department of Transportation for funding made available in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. I have personally called Secretary LaHood to express the importance of this project to the 15th District.
I mention these acts because I believe the community deserves and requires this bridge to be repaired, however, it will take much more than one congressman to get this bridge repaired, especially at a cost of more than $21 million. The city is working tirelessly to secure funding, looking to both federal and state resources. This is a wise plan as it is unlikely that one source of funding will cover the cost of the project.
Like you, the impression of a crumbling bridge is not what I would like the Ann Arbor community to be remembered for. East Stadium Bridge is much more than an integral piece of Ann Arbor’s road system, it is also serves as the road to the Big House, connecting UM football or basketball fans to campus.
It’s not uncommon for a national audience to see the bridge from the aerial shots over Michigan Stadium and UM’s athletic campus. Aside from aesthetics, repairing the bridge would have major economic benefits, with both short term construction jobs and the long term connection it provides for our city. In fact, the city noted in its TIGER grant application that a repaired bridge would save within two years approximately $56 million in societal costs such as crashes, delays and vehicle miles traveled.
The city, the state and the University of Michigan are all doing what they can to address this issue and I am glad to join them in this effort. I will also be inviting officials from U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to come and see first hand what condition the bridge is in and, more importantly, what vital transportation and economic benefits are derived from its use.
I believe that if DOT sees the structure firsthand they will have a far better understanding of its critical nature and will see for themselves that this project is not just shovel ready but shovel worthy.
But make no mistake, something must be done about this bridge and done soon.
Comments
Diagenes
Mon, Oct 26, 2009 : 7:59 a.m.
Gibby, I-35 bridge collapse is a perfect example of what is wrong with the concept of farming out resposibility for local infrastructure to the Feds. Locals that used that bridge everyday put up theirs hands and said it not our problem the feds own it. The Fedral Governemnt is a leaky bucket subject to the whims of 535 politicians whos sole objective is reelection. The doling out of transportation dollars gets us "bridges to nowhere" Amtrak trains with a handful of passengers and commercial airports that handle a couple flights a day. Where is the 6% sales tax we pay on gasoline? Its supposed to be used for roads. I guess "round a bouts" are more important than fixing a bridge.
C6
Sun, Oct 25, 2009 : 10:06 a.m.
Has the good congressman ever seen the East Stadium bridge himself? I know he's actually been to Ann Arbor at least once, because I saw him holding a dog and pony show at Pioneer High one day, but I doubt he (or whoever really wrote this piece) actually knows where the bridge is or how the traffic flows through town. "The bridge runs through the heart of Ann Arbor"? First of all the bridge is all of what, 50 or 60 feet long? Hardly long enough to run "through" anything. Also it isn't very close to the "heart" of the city. The bridge doesn't come close to the image that's been painted. The bridge connects "the commuters coming off US-23, M-14 and I-94... during their drive to the University of Michigan"? Okay, the congressman has a map and knows the expressways around our town, but I'd argue any UofM commuters coming into town via M-14 and most coming from US-23 are lost, if they're crossing under or over the East Stadium bridge. The bridge "also serves as the road to the Big House, connecting UM football or basketball fans to campus" is another poorly informed statement. I think what we have here is the good congressman hearing pitiful cries for help from our desperate mayor and council because we the people are turning against them for their shoddy work. With comments like "the city is working tirelessly" and "doing what they can to address this issue" are simply efforts to renew support. That's not going to work with me however - I believe that if you're not happy with how the government is being run, you don't vote for incumbents...
gibby76
Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 10:59 a.m.
Diagenes: because we live in a bigger society then just your sheltered 40 min to work suburban life. The cities are our future. wake up you bleeding heart. you want a case like I35 happening in the Detroit/SE Michigan area?
Bob Heinold
Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 8:43 a.m.
Now we get a lot of action!? Where the hell was the city while the bridge was deteriorating. The leaders of this city simply do not govern.
Ypsidweller
Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 7:18 a.m.
Kind of an egregious typo here in editor's note preceding Congressman Dingell's piece: U. S. Congressman John D. Dingell : East Stadium Boulevard Bridge repair not just shovel worthy, but shovel ready Editor's note: U.S. Congressman John Dingle's [Dingell's] office released this statement Friday, Oct. 23, 2009.
foobar417
Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 8:58 p.m.
Since you asked... I can think of two reasons: 1) There's value in smoothing "one-time" high cost repairs over time. Paying into a common pool (the federal government) and then having them pay back is one way of doing this. Of course, long-term bonds are another way, that would not require the federal government. 2) Local payment for high cost transportation projects disadvantages geographically challenged population centers and comparatively poor population centers. An example of the former would be Juneau vs. Miami. An example of the latter would be Jackson vs. Ann Arbor. Do Miami residents deserve to have cheaper per capita transportation projects than Juneau residents, just because they live in an "easy environment" while others do not? Do Ann Arbor residents deserve to have better transportation infrastructure than Jackson residents because they are wealthier? If your goal is to have a relatively "even playing field" for Americans' transportation infrastructure, no matter where or when they live or how wealthy their neighbors are, then using the federal government for redistribution is a reasonable way to go. However, you feel that the federal government is an excessively leaky bucket, too susceptible to special interests, or unresponsive to the will of the voters, then none of these arguments are likely to be convincing. To turn the question around, how would you best ensure that high cost transportation projects are paid for without discriminating economically or geographically?
Diagenes
Fri, Oct 23, 2009 : 8:34 p.m.
This is a perfect example of what is wrong with our government system. Can anyone make a rational statement why people who live in other states should pay taxes to repair a bridge they will never see or drive over? The Stadium Blvd bridge is not an interstate highway. It is not part of the interstate commerce transportation system. It is not a vital transportation route, except for people going to football games or Pioneer High. This is another example of the Federal Government oversteppping its authority. It is also an opportunity for Rep. Dingell to buy votes. After all God forbid we raise the money locally to fix our bridge when we can ask Uncle Sam Dingell for the money. Uncle Sam Dingell will just take it involuntarily from other people at the point of an IRS backed goon squad. The people who attend Michigan Football games will spend more money watching college kids play ball this season than the cost of repairing the bridge. Maybe we should ask Uncle Sam Dingell for season football tickets as well as a bridge.