GROSSE ILE, MI (WXYZ) — The Parkway Bridge to Grosse Ile is safe enough to stay open for now, officials say.
The 90-year-old bridge was shut down in 2020 to make way for emergency repairs, but a detailed study just released shows more work needs to be done to keep the bridge operational.
Around 10,000 drivers rely on this bridge every day to get to and from work and below the water line, much work needs to be done to keep the 90-year-old bridge safe and operational.
Those who use this bridge have concerns.
"Why did you ever let it get this far," Grosse Ile resident Holly Sworst said.
Sworst, like many others on Grosse Ile, wants answers from Wayne County about the Parkway Bridge.
"Wayne County owns the bridge. They need to be brought here and put on the spot," resident Thomas Hill said.
Nearly 16 thousand vehicles cross the parkway bridge daily
"We live here-it's ten thousand people-"We all use this bridge. We all need this bridge," another resident adds.
Back in 2020, 7 investigators found that Wayne County failed to conduct underwater inspections of the bridge from 2007 until 2017.
Usually, the foundation would be inspected every 60 months, but now, because of the condition of the bridge, the inspection cycle is every 24 months.
An outside engineering firm says the top half of the bridge is in fair condition, but the foundation is a cause for concern.
The firm based its findings on reports and documents. They did not conduct their own inspection.
"This bridge itself is rated a 4-poor condition and a 5-fair condition. And as far as the traveling public, it is not ideal, but I don't see it as a safety concern," Clifford Elling of Mannik and Smith Group said.
Wayne County is expected to hold a Q&A in 2023 in Grosse Ile.
