Count How Many Of These Grand River Bridges You Have Crossed
We have The Ambassador Bridge in Detroit that connects the USA with Canada and the Mackinac Bridge that connects the Lower Peninsula with the Upper Peninsula. The Great Lake State could also be nicknamed The Bridge State.
I can hear the advert now. "Connecting lives with the world, Michigan, The Bridge State." Ok, maybe not but Michigan does have 11,145 bridges.
This week, Gretchen Whitmer announced that the State of Michigan is expected to receive $563.1 million over five years to build, repair, or replace bridges. The Michigan Department of Transportation expects to replace 24 bridges and help local road agencies repair 129 local bridges.
Looking ahead at 2022, in Kent County, work begins on a state investment of $60 million to rebuild I-196 over the Grand River west of Grand Rapids. The project includes replacement of bridges.
The Governor said,
"This year, we continued fixing the damn roads and bridges with the right mix of materials to keep Michiganders safe. In the state that put the world on wheels, every family deserves access to roads that get them where they need to go without blowing an axle or cracking a windshield."
With all of this talk about bridges, we should take a look. I counted 22 ways to cross the Grand River in Kent County. I might have missed one or two. You probably cross one of the bridges regularly in your daily life. Are you zoning out while you cross or can you recognize these bridges?
Imagine you're standing on the bridge or you're in your car. Count How Many Of These Grand River Bridges You Have Crossed.