Fruit Ridge Bridge opens with new lanes, 14‑foot multiuse path and safety-focused interchange alignment

The Fruit Ridge Bridge and interchange in Walker officially opened following a ribbon-cutting celebration, city and state officials said. Michigan Department of Transportation and City of Walker staff described a project that widened the crossing to five lanes (two travel lanes in each direction plus a center left‑turn lane), added a 14‑foot wide pedestrian and bicycle path on the west side, and realigned ramps with new mast‑arm traffic signals to reduce conflict points.

City of Walker engineer Scott Connors said the non‑motorized path was in use on the first day, with a commuter bicyclist observed using the route in early morning darkness, and stressed the path’s transportation function beyond recreation. "This is not just recreation, it's transportation," Connors said.

John Richard of the Michigan Department of Transportation said the project combined multiple scopes — bridge replacement, interchange reconfiguration, non‑motorized connections to Kinney and a…