The Michigan Department of Transportation will demolish a bridge on I-96 in Brighton after a truck crashed into it Wednesday. The demolition will begin this afternoon.
The support beams under the Pleasant Valley overpass are damaged to the point where it's not structurally safe, which is why it's coming down, MDOT says.
"We do have a contractor in place, so we will be putting out details later of what the demolition will include," said MDOT communications representative Kari Arend. "It will be an overnight closure for that demolition and a double closure of eastbound and westbound I-96, as well."
"When the clean-up is done, we can proceed forward with how we plan to rebuild the bridge," she said.
Rebuilding the bridge could take months. Drivers are encouraged to plan on detours to get around the area for months ahead.
Below is detour information from MDOT:
- All lanes of eastbound I-96, just east of US-23, will be closed starting at 1 p.m. today and will remain closed until demolition and clean up is complete. A detour will be set up when eastbound I-96 is closed that directs motorists to Spencer Road, Old US-23, and Grand River Avenue.
Prior to the full closure, there will be a single lane closure starting at Grand River Avenue on eastbound I-96. Traffic will be shifted to the CD lane at the I-96/US-23 interchange and all traffic will need to exit at US-23.
- There also will be a single lane closure on westbound I-96, east of Pleasant Valley Road, starting at 1 p.m. today. A second lane on westbound I-96 will be closed starting at approximately 7 p.m. tonight.
All traffic is expected to reopen, including eastbound I-96, by 5 a.m. on Friday, September 29.
Pleasant Valley Road over I-96 will remain closed for approximately 6 months until the new structure can be built.
