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EAGLE HARBOR -- Work begins next week on a $2.9 million project to remove and replace the Silver River Bridge in Keweenaw County.
Based on economic modeling, the investment is expected to support 35 jobs, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a press release Wednesday.
Work is expected to be finished in July. In the meantime, traffic will be detoured via a posted route on U.S. 41. The M-26 closure will be just west of the western entrance to Brockway Drive, about 10 miles from Copper Harbor.
The Silver River Bridge has reached the end of its useful service life, the state said. After movement was detected on one of the bridge's old rock walls in 2021, the Michigan Department of Transportation reduced traffic to one lane and installed a temporary traffic signal.
The roadway section of the new bridge will be wider, including 12-foot lanes and 8-foot shoulders, providing more space and increased safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. A new historic plaque will also be installed, and landscaping work will be done around the bridge.