MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - The new pedestrian bridge being built to replace the old sidewalk on Okemos Road over the Red Cedar River is currently under construction.

Residents may have noticed that Wonch Park and the sidewalk on the nearby bridge are currently closed.

The project started in January 2015, and the foundation for the bridge is all in, but where is the bridge?
Right now it is still in New York in its last stage of construction. After that, it will be sent to the site in four separate parts and assembled there.

"For pedestrian bridges like this, they pretty much all are built off site, and then sent into place. It's a much cheaper way to do it and you get a good structural bridge if you do it this way. Building on the site would be much more time consuming," said Raymond Severy, Director of Public Works & Engineering for Meridian Township.

Due to the cold winter, weight limits remains on the roads until the deep frost is gone. And the delivery of the bridge has to wait until then.

Severy said the new bridge will hopefully open in mid or late April, and the existing 4 feet sidewalk will end its service.

The total cost of the project is $650,000 from the Pathway Millage Fund.