Madison County says Weisenberger Road bridge must be raised about 5 feet; construction eyed for 2029

Madison County staff reported Tuesday that the Weisenberger Road project requires an environmental assessment and a hydraulic analysis that will force the county to raise the existing bridge by about 5 feet and widen the roadway to the south. Stan Wright, project representative with Neil Shafer, told the county the environmental process and preliminary design are running in parallel and that construction is tentatively scheduled for 2029.

The project matters because raising the bridge and widening the road are expected to present construction and traffic-management challenges on a stretch of road that staff described as “very challenging” and less than one mile long. Wright said the county received federal funding for the project, which triggered the environmental assessment and requires public outreach.

Wright said the county held a public meeting on “the seventh” and that turnout was low but comments received were positive. He added the comment period will remain open for roughly another week to allow residents to submit comments by email or deliver them to the county office.

Technical work underway includes a hydraulic analysis that led to the decision to raise the bridge about 5 feet. To keep traffic moving during construction, Wright said the county plans to widen the road to the south and build the new structure in stages — constructing half the bridge and half the roadway before switching traffic to the new half to finish the remaining work. “We obviously need to keep this road open during construction,” Wright said.

Wright said preliminary design will continue alongside the environmental work and that the county expects to enter a right-of-way phase that could last through 2027. He noted several utility conflicts must be resolved and that railroad coordination will be required; the railroad will review design plans and may request funds to design technical elements such as gate arms.

The county has applied for additional funds aimed at the intersection of Highway 51 and Weisenberger Road. Wright said the application is through the U.S. Department of Transportation and that the Michigan Department of Transportation assisted as a sponsor; he identified the application as an “SS 4 e” grant by name. Wright said the grant competition is statewide and national and the county expects to hear back on that application “probably the beginning of the year.” If the county is not selected, he said, officials could apply again in a future cycle.

Wright described the overall schedule as: environmental work continuing into next summer, right-of-way work through 2027, and construction beginning in 2029. He cautioned the project will be expensive and face several utility and railroad coordination issues but said federal funding will help offset costs.

County officials asked follow-up questions during the update about grant sponsorship and railroad involvement. A county official confirmed the intersection grant application is through the U.S. DOT and that MDOT helped sponsor it. Wright confirmed the railroad will be more engaged once designs are further developed and likely will ask for design funding for crossing gates and related equipment.

The county did not take formal action on the item during the meeting; staff said further public outreach and design milestones will precede any right-of-way or construction contracts.

Looking ahead, Wright said the county will continue the environmental review and preliminary design work and expects additional updates as design, right-of-way and utility coordination proceed. The county will also await the U.S. DOT grant decision expected early next year.