Frequently Asked Questions

The project involves replacement of the Divine Highway bridge over the Looking Glass River.  Related work includes approach reconstruction, removal of abandoned concrete mill structures in the river, channel restoration, replacement of the City’s water main crossing of the Looking Glass River, and river trail underpass replacement.

Design work is in process with project bidding to take place early in 2026 and construction to follow in the spring of 2026.

The bridge will be replaced using part width construction techniques to leave one lane open for northbound traffic and emergency services throughout.  

The project will be completed in 5 stages:

1. Stage 1:  The water main river crossing will require a traffic shift on Grand River Avenue to the south, as the water main is located under the westbound (north) lane of Grand River Avenue.
2. Stage 2:  Replacement of the west side of the bridge and approach roadway will close the bridge to southbound traffic with northbound traffic using the remaining east side of the bridge.
3. Stage 3: Replacement of the east side of the bridge and approach roadway will close the bridge to southbound traffic with northbound traffic using the newly constructed west side of the bridge.
4. Stage 4:  Replacement of sidewalk ramps on the south side of the intersection of Grand River Avenue and Divine Highway will require a traffic shift on Grand River Avenue to the north.
5. Stage 5:  Top course asphalt paving and pavement markings will be constructed using flag control.

The City received a grant through the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Local Bridge Program that covers 95% of the construction costs.  The City’s costs on the project are being funded by income tax revenue.

1. The City originally applied for funding for a project that would build the new bridge west of the current bridge and realign the road, leaving the existing bridge open during construction. The City applied a number of times, but the project was cost-prohibitive due to the cost of realigning the road and replacing the traffic signal at Divine Highway and Grand River Avenue.
2. Complete closure of the bridge during construction would reduce the cost and duration of construction, however, the detour route is lengthy, and would increase emergency services response times to an unacceptable level.

A number of factors were considered, including:

1. Temporary signals were evaluated, which would allow alternating northbound and southbound traffic, however, the proximity of the bridge to Grand River Avenue does not allow for queuing (waiting in line) of northbound vehicles on Divine Highway. The signals at Grand River Avenue would need to be incorporated, which would increase the cycles times of those signals significantly and cause severe congestion on Grand River Avenue.
2. If southbound traffic was maintained on the bridge instead of northbound, vehicle queueing at the Grand River Avenue signal would block emergency services vehicles. Northbound traffic is free-flowing and can clear ahead of an oncoming emergency service vehicle.
3. The detour for southbound traffic using David Highway, Keefer Highway and Grand River Avenue is a less confusing one for most drivers.  Detouring northbound traffic would involve signage for traffic on Grand River Avenue, Kent Street and I-96, as those are all used to access Divine Highway.  There are several shorter detour routes that can also be utilized – the signed detour is intended for truck routes and those not familiar with the area.

The park will remain open throughout construction, including the parking lot.  The river trail underpass will be closed throughout construction with trail users detoured to the at-grade crossing between the bridge and Looking Glass Avenue.

The signal will remain in its normal operation for several reasons. 

• Construction vehicles and ADM traffic will continue to use southbound Divine Highway south of the bridge and need green time to turn onto Grand River Avenue. 
• Red time for Grand River Avenue creates gaps in traffic for those turning onto Grand River Avenue between signals, like at Maple Street. 
• The same is also true for pedestrians attempting to cross Grand River Avenue.