The St. Joseph County Road Commission reports the closure of the Stowell Road Bridge, which crosses the St. Joseph River in Section 1 of Colon Township.

During this year’s biennial inspection of the bridge, accumulating deficiencies were discovered that warrant the closure of the structure to traffic.  The bridge will be physically closed off on Thursday (December 17th).

The bridge was constructed in 1950.  In 2005, repairs were made at the north and south piers, with subsequent weight limit restrictions applied.  At that time, the Road Commission’s engineering staff immediately made application to see if the Stowell Road Bridge would qualify for replacement through MDOT’s Local Bridge Program.  This program helps Road Commissions repair and replace structures through a point allocation system.  Bridge projects under this program qualify for Federal and State Funding, at the level of 95 percent with the remaining 5 percent funded with the Road Commission’s Michigan Transportation Funds.

In 2007, the Road Commission was notified that the structure had accumulated enough points for acceptance into the Local Bridge Program and the structure was scheduled for replacement in 2010.  The bridge has been in the engineering design stage since late 2008.

While the Road Commission realizes the closure will create a hardship for the traveling public, if the application and qualification process had not been initiated, almost 5 years ago, the bridge replacement may have been delayed indefinitely.  Fortunately, the agency can report that the bridge project will be scheduled for bid letting in April or May, 2010, with construction to be completed by August 1, 2010.

The detour route will be posted.

Source:  News release from St. Joseph County Road Commission