Granite Construction will get a lift to its backlog as part of a joint venture working on a $113 million bridge project in Bay City, Michigan.
Watsonville, California-based Granite and Plain, Wisconsin-headquartered Kraemer North America will team up to remove and replace the Lafayette Bascule Bridge over the Saginaw River, according to a news release.
The structure, built in 1938 as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program, has faced numerous closures in recent years for repairs, with rebar showing through the pavement and the sidewalks crumbling, according to a profile of the project written by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association in April.
The bridge is a double-leaf rolling bascule, or drawbridge, with heavy mechanical equipment that has become more prone to failure. In 2022 alone, it was closed 20 times for repairs, according to ARTBA.
Job specs include the demolition of the existing structure, cofferdam installation and the construction of a new substructure and bascule piers, structural steel, machinery, a new bridge house and approach spans, according to Granite.
The Federal Highway Administration and Michigan DOT are funding the project, with $73 million coming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, according to ARTBA.
Granite and Kraemer North America have teamed up on two other Bay City bridge projects. In 2021, the pair collaborated on a $125 million rehabilitation of Liberty Bridge and the complete reconstruction and alignment of the Independence Bridge, according to Granite.
Work on the Lafayette Bascule Bridge will begin this fall. The new structure is expected to be open to traffic in summer 2027.
