Public meeting to be held Nov. 1 on Dutton Road bridge replacement

ROCHESTER HILLS/OAKLAND TOWNSHIP — The public is invited to learn more about the planned 2023 replacement of the Dutton Road bridge over the Paint Creek, between the north and south Livernois Road intersections, on the Rochester Hills and Oakland Township border.    

The Road Commission for Oakland County, in partnership with Rochester Hills and Oakland Township, will host a public information meeting 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, in the cafeteria at Rochester Adams High School, 3200 W. Tienken Road in Rochester Hills. While there will be no formal presentations during the meeting, Road Commission staff will be available to answer questions during the open-house format meeting.

“We will be replacing the bridge on Dutton Road over the Paint Creek, which is just east of Livernois,” said Craig Bryson, the Road Commission’s spokesman. “The existing bridge is older and deteriorated and needs to be replaced.”

The approximately $2.6 million project will be paid for mostly with federal funds, and construction will begin in 2023.

“About 80% of the cost will come from federal road funding, and the remainder will be shared by the Road Commission and the city of Rochester Hills,” said Bryson.

The project includes removing the current bridge and replacing it with a wider bridge, asphalt paving over the vicinity of the bridge, shoulder paving, the installation of curbs and gutters, and a new guardrail. Approximately 30 trees will be removed as part of the project, officials said.

“We’re going to put in a little bit wider of a bridge than is currently there, which will accommodate pedestrians, and we’re going to also pave the shoulder on the north side of Dutton Road near the bridge to connect to the Paint Creek Trail parking lot and to the trail, so it will add some pedestrian safety benefits there,” Bryson explained.

Schedule-wise, Bryson said, the utility companies will come in and do their relocation of utilities this winter and spring, and crews will start on the bridge in July of 2023.

“We anticipate finishing up in November,” he said.

Officials said access to homes within the construction zone will be maintained during work. Paint Creek Trail access will remain open except for a two-day closure in the fall, with dates to be announced.

“We have to close the road because, obviously, we will be removing the bridge, and people will not be able to cross the river while the bridge is gone,” Bryson noted.

The proposed detour for through traffic throughout the project is Brewster Road to Tienken Road to Rochester Road to Orion Road, back to Dutton Road, and vice versa.

“We just want to try to do everything we can to help people prepare for this inconvenience,” said Bryson.

For more information on the project, visit the Dutton Road Bridge Replacement page in the “Road Projects” section of www.rcocweb.org. The public can provide comments or concerns to the Road Commission design division by Nov. 15, either at the meeting or via email to design@rcoc.org. For more information, call (877) 858-4804.