Tom Greenwood

Nine Mile bridge is longer

MDOT extends span before I-75's anticipated widening

After slapping on a hard hat and donning a reflective vest, I recently took an MDOT tour of the project to replace the Nine Mile Bridge over Interstate 75 in Hazel Park.

As you remember, the bridge was destroyed when a gasoline tanker crashed and exploded beneath the span in July.

MDOT had originally planned to replace the bridge with a duplicate span, but then decided to construct a larger bridge in anticipation of the future widening of the freeway.

Crews from Toebe Construction, based in Wixom, have been working 24/7 on the project.

MDOT is trying to have the bridge reopened by Christmas, which would be welcome news for Karim Yousif, owner of J&E Auto Service, a heartbeat or two west of the bridge.

"The bridge being out is killing us," Yousif said.

"Business is down by about 80 percent, and we are in deep trouble. My customers don't know how to get here."

When I was on site, crews on the southbound side of I-75 were busy digging trenches 9 feet below the level of the freeway as traffic whizzed by just a few feet away.

"This is where we'll construct the new footings for the bridge," said Gerard Pawloski, resident engineer for MDOT's transportation service center.

"We'll also do the same thing on the northbound side. We're also going to reconstruct Nine Mile on either side of the bridge, plus the installation of a new drainage system and lights."

The new bridge will be five lanes, like the old bridge, but will be 180 feet long, said MDOT spokesman Rob Morosi.

"The longer bridge would be needed whenever the freeway is widened from Eight Mile to M-59," he said. "It's fiscally more responsible to put in a larger bridge now rather than coming back to do it years from now."

For Toebe Construction Vice President Bob Jones, the biggest headache isn't the weather, detours or deadlines.

"My biggest problem is motorists on the freeway," Jones said.

"There's a 50 mph limit through the work zone, but motorists are ignoring it," he said. "We need people to slow down; you might get home a little late, but the important thing is that everyone gets home safely."

The projected cost of the project is $12 million with MDOT looking for federal Emergency Relief Funds to cover as much as 90 percent.

MDOT is also pursuing reimbursement from the insurance company of the driver that caused the gas tanker crash in July.

Commuting tgreenwood@detnews.com (313) 222-2023