Ionia County Road Commission
Cutler Road over the Looking Glass Bridge - Bridge Replacement
Ionia County, Michigan
Williams & Works was the Engineer of Record and Construction Engineering lead on the Cutler Road Bridge replacement project located in Ionia County, Michigan. The project consisted of a removing an existing 6-span timber bridge and replacing it with a single-span prestressed concrete bulb tee bridge. The existing bridge was deemed insufficient to carry current highway loads. The bridge crosses the Looking Glass River along the Portland and Danby Township line. Due to the sensitive nature of the site, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) required that no piers be installed in the river. A native mussel survey was also required, which resulted in the relocation of 405 state threatened native mussels from the project site.
Due to the stringent requirements, a single span structure was designed to span the waterway. The structure is 175’- 0” long and includes some of the longest prestressed concrete beams ever installed in the State of Michigan. The four beams are 7’-0” tall, with each weighing approximately 126 tons. Due to the depth of the beams, the roadway grade was raised by several feet from the original structure. The foundations include steel H piles, concrete footings and abutments, and expanded polystyrene (EPS) blocks.
Construction was completed and the road was opened for traffic in January of 2023.
