Work to repair the Bicentennial Bridge in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph will begin Monday.
The drawbridge has been in the closed position since March 27 due to the failure of a hydraulic cylinder needed to open it. Michigan Department of Transportation spokesperson Nick Schirripa tells us they’re now ready to install a new one.
“We have the parts, we have a contract in place, and we’re going to start work Monday morning, April 15,” Schirripa said. “It shouldn’t take more than three days. They’re anticipating we’ll be done by the end of Wednesday, April 17. So for three days, they’ll be working on the bridge, which means no maritime traffic, no boat traffic under the bridge, and traffic on top of the bridge, road traffic, will be limited to single-lane closures.”
Schirripa says there will be no boat traffic allowed under the bridge at all while the work is being done.
Schirripa says it’s fortunate the issue occurred so early in the year because there hasn’t been much boat traffic through the area yet.
The cost of the repair is $100,000.
