I-75 bridge could be closed for weeks

The I-75 highway overpass that succumbed to a tanker fire just outside of Detroit may be closed for weeks, detouring traffic to the local Lodge Freeway and other routes.

The Michigan Department of Transportation awarded an emergency $84,000 contract to Posen Construction Inc. to remove that charred remains of the bridge, which collapsed when a motorist slammed into a fuel-tanker truck under the span on July 15.

MDOT spokesman Rob Morosi said a contract for the reconstruction of the 9 Mile Road overpass, which was rehabilitated just over a year ago, will be put out to bid in about a month. He estimates that the new bridge will cost between $2-3 million. It is not yet known if the pavement on I-75 will need to be replaced.

Approximately 160,000 motorists work the route daily, a figure that will now swell the Lodge Freeway and other north-south routes. MDOT did not give a time table for new construction, but did say it will follow an accelerated schedule.