OKEMOS - After a recent bridge inspection of the Okemos Road bridge over the Red Cedar River between Hamilton and Mt. Hope Roads, the Ingham County Road Department has made the decision to close down the Southbound outer lane.

The lane closure began on Saturday, November 7, 2015.

Due to the impact of heavy trucks, the closure of this outer lane is necessary to prevent further structural deterioration to the aging structure.

The lane closure and reduced load limits are a preventative step to eliminate further damage, however the bridge is deemed safe for current legal loading in one lane including all cars and light trucks.

"The Road Department’s consulting bridge engineers are currently working on determining detail of repairs needed. Repair plans will then be prepared and issued to qualified contractors to bid on the work. Upon selecting a contractor, the work will be done as soon as possible," stated Bill Conklin, Managing Director of the Ingham County Roads Department.

Replacement of this bridge with a new four lane, two way bridge as well as a conversion of the aged and functionally obsolete Northbound Okemos Road "camelback" bridge over the Red Cedar River to a pedestrian bridge has been in the Ingham County Roads Department long term plan for for quite a while now.

"All steps of the process in the Road Department’s control are being maximally expedited to the extent possible to make the necessary repairs and alleviate the traffic restriction as soon as possible," Conklin stated.

Conklin also mentioned that "based on similar recent experience with the Marsh Road bridge over the CN Railroad between Franklin and Haslett Roads, this will take several months to complete."