The White Lake Drive overpass over US-31 will remain closed through most of the spring due to additional necessary repairs discovered while repairing the original hole that appeared in the bridge deck, the Michigan Department of Transportation confirmed in a press release Tuesday.
"Once crews got into it, they discovered a lot more (that needed to be repaired), so we're going to keep it closed and do a proper fix," MDOT regional communications director John Richard said. "The bridge will likely be closed through the end of May. Crews are out there working now, but temperatures need to warm up in order to pour the concrete."
The original hole was opened when a car hit a pothole on the bridge Tuesday, Jan. 6, which led to the White Lake Fire Authority and Whitehall police department teaming to close the bridge to traffic. The original schedule called for the bridge to reopen at the end of this month.
MDOT regional transportation services director Marc Frederickson spoke at Tuesday's Whitehall city council meeting, updating local residents about the progress of the repairs. He used Memorial Day, May 25, as a likely reopen date, though good weather could help the process move faster than that.
Frederickson said he anticipates crews being able to pour concrete into the right lane of the bridge next week. Once the concrete is in place on that side, Frederickson said, the northbound Exit 126 ramp on US-31 can be opened again so eastbound traffic will be able to exit. The ramp was closed because there would not be sufficient room for cars to slow down on it in its current state. The process will need to be repeated with the southbound exit ramp once work on the right lane of the bridge is complete.
Frederickson said when the original hole opened, MDOT's most immediate concern was to ensure concrete would not fall from the bridge onto highway traffic. That was satisfied, but crews found subsequent areas of concern that needed to be addressed. It's likely that the increased number of heavy loads the overpass sees - the bridge serves deliveries made to the Whitehall Industrial Park - contributed to this issue.
It would be a "much more rosy outlook," Fredrickson said, if the issue had come up six months from now, but the cold temperatures have created issues. It needs to be at least 20 degrees outside in order to properly pour concrete.
A full replacement of the structure's deck was already on MDOT's schedule for 2028 as the department makes its way through needed updates to bridges in northern Michigan. Frederickson acknowledged some public feedback to move up that timeline and said while it is not possible to do so in 2026, it may be possible to install the new deck in 2027 if the design phase of the project, which is slated to begin in the spring, goes well and the department is able to maneuver other projects.
Asked by mayor Tom Ziemer if it is possible to make the bridge wider as part of these in-progress repairs - speaking on behalf of bicycle riders - Frederickson said the repairs will likely add an additional foot or two of driving room on each side of the bridge, but the department is limited in what it can do right now due to funding and its philosophy of salvaging and reusing available material whenever possible.
