Bridge temporarily closes due to safety concerns

By Mary Drier
Staff Writer

WISNER TOWNSHIP — Safety concerns closed one of the Old State Road bridges for awhile Thursday morning.

At about 10 a.m., the Tuscola County Sheriff’s Department issued an electronic network notice that the road commission was closing Old State Road for a few hours and that it would only be open during that time for emergency vehicles.

“Some additional support was added. Some bracing to the beam and deck was done,” said Tuscola County Road Commission Director of Finance Mike Tuckey, noting work was done as a safety precaution.

According to Tuckey, the road commission’s engineering department made the determination that some additional structural support was needed because of traffic flow. The work took about two hours.

“Even with the additional support, it’s still going to  just remain a one-lane bridge,” Tuckey said.

Traffic on Old State Road is a growing concern because is it suppose to be used by “only local traffic and emergency vehicles” but some motorists are using that roadway as a main detour while the M-25 bridge over the Quanicassee River is being replaced.

The official detour to be used while M-25 is closed is M-15 in Bay City, then M-138 to M-24, and back to M-25 in Unionville. State and local highway officials encourage motorist to use that detour route.

Mary Drier is a staff writer for the Tuscola County Advertiser. She can be reached at drier@tcadvertiser.com.