MDOT holds open house to discuss Lafayette Street Bridge project

BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) - The clock is ticking on Bay City's Lafayette Street Bridge.

On Tuesday night, Nov. 12, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) gave a glimpse of its plans to demolish and replace the aging structure.

"It's important to reach out to locals to ensure that they're aware of what the schedule is for the project, as well as provide them with information that they can use to stay up to date as we progress with this project," said Paul Schiefer, MDOT construction engineer.

MDOT held an open house meeting at the Boys and Girls Club of the Great Lakes Bay Region about the approximately $112 million Lafayette Street Bridge project.

"We want to provide transparency throughout the project," said Schiefer.

Residents had the opportunity to learn more about and view the plans for the demolition and replacement of the bascule bridge and ask project staffers questions.

"He had some answers for some of the questions, but what I was considering, or want them to consider, is putting in roundabouts, like on the middle grounds, where it's very difficult to make lefthand turns, and on both sides of the river. If we had three roundabouts instead of traffic signals where people can't make lefthand turns, it would be very feasible," said Tom Jablonski, a Bay City resident.

"The answer that I had, I received a good answer, and I'm happy with it," said Bay City resident John Aguilar. "I mean, this has been set for months, and this is just a time frame where we'd have to deal with."

MDOT anticipates work on the bridge will begin on Dec. 2 and will last for about two and a half years. It said plans to keep everyone informed about the project through video and pictures.

"We'll have livestream cameras on either side of the bridge, as well as every two weeks, we'll have drone footage taking photos of the area so we can get that out on social media," Schiefer said.

Once completed the new bridge will have a shared use path for pedestrians and bicycles.

The new bridge is scheduled to open in the summer of 2027.