Road Commission Votes to Cover Cass Bridge Costs

The Grand Traverse County Road Commission voted in a special meeting to contribute more funding toward a proposed Cass Road bridge replacement in 2016.

The $3 million project - which will be predominately funded by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) as part of the Boardman River Dams Project - requires a five percent local funding match. County commissioners have publicly questioned the Cass Road bridge replacement, citing support instead for a long-discussed Hartman-Hammond bypass and raising concerns about the county's ability to pay for the required match.

Road commissioners voted last week to cover the match and construction engineering costs to ensure the project moves forward. As part of an amendment to the agreement between the county commission and road commission, county commissioners must agree to pay any overrun costs for the project beyond those assumed by the road commission. The GT County Commission will review the proposed amendment to the agreement Wednesday night at 6pm at the Governmental Center.