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The Mount Clemens City Commission voted to submit a grant application to replace the Crocker Boulevard bridge at its March 17 meeting. Built in 1960 with repairs made in 1995 and 2015, the city has tried to secure grant funding from the state to replace the bridge since 2006.
Photo by Dean Vaglia
MOUNT CLEMENS — As the saying goes, the 20th time’s the charm.
On March 17, the Mount Clemens City Commission unanimously supported a grant application to replace the Crocker Boulevard bridge spanning the Clinton River.
Built in 1960, the city has been trying since 2006 to replace it with support from the state. In the supporting documents for the $9.3 million Michigan Department of Transportation Local Bridge Program grant, deterioration of the surface, joint sealants, railings, deck, piers and other components have been detected as of an April 2024 inspection. It is marked as being in “serious condition” and is under weight restriction to reduce wear.
“Part of the thing that requires it to be a total reconstruction is that the piers themselves are not sitting on the pilings,” Public Services Director Jeff Wood said.
According to the grant application documents, the bridge carries an average of over 11,700 vehicles a day with over 14,000 daily crossings expected by 2040. Concrete repairs were performed on the bridge in 1995 and 2015. It is one of two connections over the Clinton River in the city. Should the grant be awarded and the bridge replaced, traffic would be temporarily rerouted across the Dickinson/Market Street bridge.
Marijuana dispensary parking approval
Commissioners approved an extension of the conditional approval for 222 Biz 4, LLC, a business aiming to open a marijuana retail store at 195 Malow Street. The approval comes after a deal was reached to resolve a parking issue, but the parties involved in the deal meant not all commissioners ended up voting.
“The reason I believe that I should abstain from this is because my husband worked with the owner of this property because they needed additional parking to receive a certificate of occupancy, and so he has a one-year agreement with them to rent parking spaces to them,” Mount Clemens Mayor Laura Kropp said.
Bakes & Kropp Fine Cabinetry’s factory is located within the same industrial area as the planned dispensary location. The mayor’s abstention from voting and further discussing the matter required approval from her fellow city commissioners, and support among them was unanimous for abstention and approval. The applicant plans to expand its on-site parking within a year based on design plans.
