M-30 Bridge Construction Complete, Reopened to Traffic

The Michigan Department of Transportation has completed reconstruction of the M-30 bridge over the Tobacco River.

The bridge was one of many roads and bridges in Midland and Gladwin counties that sustained heavy damage following the failures of the Edenville and Sanford dams in May 2020. After addressing several other road and bridge repairs across the impacted area, MDOT began installing a prefabricated steel bridge in December 2020, to serve as a temporary crossing while designs were finalized for a permanent structure. The temporary bridge opened to traffic on March 11, 2021. The temporary bridge was removed and disassembled this past March, and has been stored for use in future construction or emergency situations that may require a temporary bridge.

The new three-span bridge is 234 feet long with two 12-foot lanes and 10-foot shoulders, compared to the old 60-foot-long single-span bridge with similar-sized lanes and only 5-foot shoulders. The new bridge also includes 5-foot sidewalks on both sides and sits 2.5 feet higher.