CN Grade Separation

  Project Location (map)  (1.81MB)
  Description of Project (Updated: 02/23/10)
  Funding    (Updated: 02/23/10)
  Schedule (Updated: 02/23/10)

St. Clair County is located on the west side of the St. Clair River across from Sarnia , Ontario , Canada .  With the Blue Water Bridges spanning the River and the Canadian National (CN) Rail tunnel beneath the River, St. Clair County is uniquely positioned on a prime international trade route.  The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established this corridor as a direct link between Canada and Mexico.  

The CN Railroad yard facility in Port Huron Township provides access to the tunnel, one of only three international rail border crossings between Minnesota and New York .  Trains traveling to the United States from Canada first travel through the tunnel and enter the County at the CN Railroad yard where some are randomly inspected by the United States Office of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP).  Due to the border crossing’s economic importance and increased security concerns, the CBP’s inspections can cause significant train delay problems at the Michigan Road , Griswold Road and Range Road crossings.  This results in substantial delays for local residents and emergency services.  CN Railroad business and CBP random inspections can cause trains to stop and backup, often blocking more than one at-grade crossing at a time.  

Wadhams Road Bridge

  Project Location (map) (Updated: 02/23/10)
  Economic Importance  
  Funding    (Updated: 02/23/10)
  Schedule (Updated: 02/23/10)
  Informational Mtg: Kimball Twp Hall 9/08/10
  Informational Meeting Handout (04/08/10)

 Progress Update (pdf)

St. Clair County Rd Comm. Wadhams Road Bridge Project Facebook Page

The bridge on Wadhams Road over the Black River is two-lanes wide with a five-foot wide raised sidewalk on the east side.  The road south of the bridge is four lanes wide from just north of Lapeer Road to I-69.  The approach north of the bridge is three lanes wide to North River Road .  The bridge has 12 spans and its total length is 530 feet.  

The substructure of the current bridge was built in 1941.  The deck was replaced and widened in 1977.  

The current 24-hour traffic volume is 16,270 vehicles with 11% commercial (trucks).  

To accommodate present and future projected traffic, the replacement bridge will be four-lanes wide with a pedestrian walkway.  

The nearest bridge across the Black River is 7.4 miles to the east at I-94/I-69, just west of the Blue Water Bridge .  The nearest bridge to the west is 6.4 miles away on M-136.   

If the structure is closed several detours would be in effect.  Cars and light trucks could cross at M-136 to the west or I-94/69 to the east.  The detour to the west is 14.7 miles.  The detour to the east is 13.1 miles.  The alternate all-season route would be over I-94/69 via a detour 15.3 miles long.  

 

Wadhams Bridge Road Work Schedule (Updated: 07/27/10)
	Work continues on the east side of the road.  The storm sewer and road base is now complete.   Prep work for the curb and gutter is being completed today with placement of the curb scheduled for tomorrow.  Rain delays on the contractor's other jobs has forced them to delay placement of the curb on this project, which in turn delays the placement of the asphalt. Asphalt is now scheduled to be placed early next week.
Wadhams Bridge Traffic Control (Updated: 07/27/10)
	Once the contractor has completed the first two lifts of asphalt on the east side of the road, the intersection of Lapeer Road will be reopened. Southbound traffic on Wadhams Road will have one left turn-only lane, one through-only lane and one through-right turn lane. Northbound traffic on Wadhams Road will have one left turn-only lane, one through-only lane and one right turn-only lane. Lapeer Road traffic west and east bound will return to the same as prior to the construction.
Wadhams Bridge Bridge Work  Schedule (Updated: 07/27/10)
	Work continues on drilling the shafts for the box pile under the center pier.  The contractor was required to revise their work platforms for the crane near the center pier because of unstable ground.  The working weight of this crane is 370,000 pounds so an unstable work platform under the crane is very dangerous.  Together with the weight of the crane and the already unstable ground on the south bank, we need to take every precaution to create a safe work environment for the workers.  The pictures below show the crane and drill rig in safe positions for completing the drilling of the box pile shafts.
Additional pictures of the worksite can also be found on the Road Commission Facebook page.
	Project information last updated on 07/27/2010