LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The County Road 657 bridge over the east branch of the Paw Paw River in Antwerp Township would be replaced under $800,000 included in the state House budget for the next fiscal year.
State Representative Pauline Wendzel announced she secured the funding for the project to replace the structurally deficient bridge.
The bridge supports around 3,600 vehicles every day, including school buses, heavy agricultural equipment, and emergency vehicles and was placed under a 31-ton weight restriction last year by the Van Buren County Road Commission.
It is also a half-foot short of the 20-foot minimum required to qualify for the Local Bridge Fund, making it ineligible for standard state and federal maintenance funding since it was built. The new bridge will be 21-feet high and eliminate the need for future special legislative appropriations.
The funding remains subject to lawmaker approval.
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