repair - WKTV Journal

By Sydney Bowler
Capital News Service

LANSING – From 2017 to 2021, the number of bridges in poor condition in Michigan increased from 1,146 to 1,240, according to the National Bridge Inventory.

A recently launched bridge bundling program by the Department of Transportation (MDOT) will tackle those numbers and is expected to repair up to 78 locally owned bridges that are in serious or critical condition, according to Dan Weingarten, the MDOT Superior region communications representative.

The pilot program, which began early March, will start repairs for 19 bridges this year.

The bundling program covers multiple bridge locations under one contract and repairs are already underway at five of the 19 bridges in Jackson, Macomb, Lapeer, Clinton and Ottawa counties.

The other 14 are in Clinton, Eaton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Lenawee, Lapeer, Livingston, Luce, Jackson, Macomb, Muskegon, Ottawa, St. Clair and St. Joseph counties.

“Michigan has aging bridge infrastructure and we have faced decades of underinvestment. Basically, bridges have been deteriorating faster than we can repair or replace them. This has created a growing inventory of bridges in poor condition,” said Weingarten.

The 19 bridges in Phase I were deemed high priority, Weingarten said.

Michigan Department of TransportationRepair work underway on the abutment for the Byron Road bridge over the Black River in Ottawa County.

According to Weingarten, bridges are inspected at least every 24 months, but complex, moveable and large bridges are inspected more frequently. Bridges rated “poor” may be inspected as frequently as every six months, depending on the condition and details involved.

“People should not worry when they cross over or under a bridge. Bridges are inspected regularly and, if the bridge is open, it’s safe. MDOT and local agency bridge owners close unsafe bridges,” he said.

The repaired bridges could last up to 50 years before needing to be fixed again and could potentially last even longer with maintenance projects, Weingarten said.

The second phase of the project could repair or remove up to 59 other bridges. This phase focuses on closed or weight-restricted bridges, according to MDOT.

“The pilot project is being funded by Federal Highway Improvement Program dollars. Then, late last year, $196 million in federal COVID relief funds were appropriated,” Weingarten said. “This will allow the state to execute Phase II of the bridge bundling program, beginning later this year.”

The program has been backed at all levels, from federal to state to local.

“This is the most supportive program from the state for local bridges that I’ve ever seen,” said Wayne Harrall, the deputy managing director for engineering at the Kent County Road Commission in a press release. “The MDOT Bureau of Bridges has engaged with local agencies from the beginning, before there was even funding allocated to the effort.”

The County Road Association says the program is a great concept and would like it to bear some fruit in cost savings, according to Ed Noyola, its deputy director. The association represents 83 road agencies and provides legislative, operational and engineering advice.

But its main concern is that the project may run out of funding before work on all bridges is complete.

“Costs have gone up exponentially, and it’s a problem,” Noyola said. “The cost of material and labor is just going through the roof, and bridge projects are probably the most costly of all the road work that’s done that’s gone up.”

Weingarten said federal COVID relief funding for Phase II requires the money to be allocated by 2024 and spent by 2029, and MDOT intends to finish Phase II by then.

According to the National Bridge Inventory, a U.S. Department of Transportation database, there are 11,284 bridges in the state.

MDOT estimates it would cost $2 billion to get all state-owned bridges up to good or fair condition, and an additional $1.5 billion to do the same for all local government-owned bridges.

Weingarten said that MDOT bridge staff and consultants are doing the design and construction administration work, as well as providing engineering and contract negotiation expertise.

By Victoria Mullen and Mike DeWitt

WKTV

Dreamwheels and Metrocruise are all about the classic cars, but if you’re anything like most people, you absolutely love looking at them and have no idea what you would do if you had to fix one up. Fortunately, Steve’s Antique Auto Repair, at 1803 Farragut St SW in Wyoming, is here to help. Steve’s Antique Auto Repair is a licensed auto repair facility with full engine rebuilding capabilities. Its certified mechanics specialize in restoring vehicles 1972 and older.

“We bought [the garage] as just a hobby box for dad and I,” said Steve Sturim. “This is where we had kept our personal collection and we were working on our own vehicles and then nights and weekends on customers’ cars.”

For nearly 25 years, Steve and his father Rick have maintained and fully restored cars. Their business is thriving, fueled by classic car enthusiasts, automotive clubs and folks who simply appreciate a bygone era.

Car restoration isn’t for the faint of heart — or those short on patience. It requires meticulous attention to detail and an ability to ferret out parts that haven’t been on the market for decades. If you can’t find the parts, you must be able to improvise and craft them yourself.

And, it’s far more involved than simply making a vehicle’s exterior look pretty. A full-factory restoration involves replacing just about every part on the car with a newer, better working one — from dashboard gauges to the lining of the trunk walls.

The prize-winning 16,000-mile, 1928 Ford Model A Business Coupe

Diehard restorers — like Steve and Rick — aim to be as historically accurate as they can to make the car look precisely the way it did the day it rolled off the assembly line.

Father and son enter their lovingly restored classics in several different auto shows throughout the country. Last year, their 16,000-mile, 1928 Ford Model A Business Coupe — judged in the original class at the Model A Restorers Club national meet in Perrysburg, Ohio — scored 490 of a possible 500 points.

The 1928 Ford Model A Phaeton, serial number A495, was the 495th Model A ever built. Somehow, Steve managed to acquire the original engine block — amazing, when you think about it — then rebuilt the complete engine and made several chassis component restorations.

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From humble beginnings — working nights and weekends — to working full time, Steve’s and Rick’s business is now a full-fledged restoration garage that services cars from all over the Midwest. While the cars may be old, they’re each unique in what makes them tick.

“How many different engineers had different thoughts on how something should work?” Sturim mused. “As more automakers came out and more cars were designed and such like that, everyone had their own idea. They weren’t just cookie cutters. And that’s what I’ve learned and I’m relearning their engineering and them saying, ‘We’re going to design it this way and have it function this way.’ OK, well I have to learn why did they do that, why did they choose that, and then how am I going to repair it?”

That continued passion for learning has given Steve a reason to do what he loves.

“I don’t see these as antique cars, I see these as cars and machines and my passion,” said Sturim. “I see them as machines. If I wasn’t doing this, I’d be living under a bridge someplace.”

Make sure to check out the “DreamWheels” show which will be broadcasting live Saturday, Aug. 27 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at Pal’s Diner, 6503 28th St. SE, and Rogers Plaza, 972 28th St. SW. The show will air Saturday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. on WKTV Channel 25.