East Stadium Bridges Improvement Project 

The East Stadium Boulevard Bridges Replacement Project is the City of Ann Arbor's highest priority transportation project. The E. Stadium Boulevard bridges over S. State Street and over the Ann Arbor Railroad carry vehicular and pedestrian traffic in an east-west direction, providing one of the few arterial links between the east and west sides of Ann Arbor.  Also, because of the bridges’ proximity to northbound and southbound arterial roadways that connect to I-94 and the downtown business district, the bridges are essential to many commuters.  E. Stadium Boulevard is one of the most traveled corridors in the City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County. 

The Stadium bridges are located less than one-quarter mile from the University of Michigan’s 101,701-seat football stadium and the 15,000-seat Crisler Arena.  A High School and two Middle Schools are located on or near E. Stadium Boulevard.  In addition, there are two fire stations located within two miles of the E. Stadium Boulevard Bridges. 

Ways to Stay Informed

• Link to Ann Arbor Bridges Website 
• Follow project updates on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/AnnArborBridges
• Become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AnnArborBridges
• Sign up for Gov Delivery website e-mail updates

Community Meetings

Preliminary Design Public Meetings (PDF) -

• Oct. 28, 2009:
• Question-and-answer Summary (PDF)
• Presentation (PDF) 
• Design Options - Public Voting Results (PDF)
• Dec. 1, 2009:
• Presentation (PDF)
• Retaining Wall - Design (PDF)
• Meeting Summary (PDF)
• Retaining Wall - Public Voting Results (PDF)
• March 23, 2011
• Invitation (PDF)
• Presentation (PDF)
• Meeting Summary (PDF)

November 2009 Bridge Demolition Activities

On November 15th and 16th the City undertook a project to remove 5 beams from the East Stadium bridge over South State Street in order to assure the continued safety of motorists and pedestrians that utilize East Stadium Boulevard and South State Street. The demolition work went well. In order to perform the work it was necessary to close South State Street while the demolition operations were performed and East Stadium Boulevard was reduced to one lane of traffic as well. All work was completed and South State Street was reopened to traffic at about 5:15 p.m. on November 16th.

To view photos of the demolition work in progress please click here.

Condition of Stadium Bridges

The E. Stadium Boulevard Bridge over S. State Street, built in 1928, and the bridge over the Ann Arbor Railroad tracks, built in 1928, are located about 350 feet apart.  Both bridges are functionally obsolete, e.g. they do not comply with today's design standards and lack both the needed horizontal and vertical clearances that are required. The bridge over S. State Street is now considered a temporary structure and must be replaced.  The bridge over the Ann Arbor Railroad tracks is now considered structurally deficient (it can no longer carry the loads it was designed to accomodate) and will be replaced as well.  

In the last several years, the City has reduced the allowable load limits on the E. Stadium Bridge over S. State Street several times and prohibited heavy trucks from using the bridges even though there are major University of Michigan Construction projects going on nearby.  In March 2009, the City permanently reduced the traffic lanes on the Bridges from 4-to-2 lanes for the public’s safety.  The City may be required to close E. Stadium Boulevard at the bridges, should their condition warrant it.  S. State Street is also a major connection to Interstate 94 for the City of Ann Arbor and closing this facility will cut off a direct connection to the University of Michigan Campus and downtown.

Regional Significance of the Stadium Bridges

The replacement of the two bridges at the E. Stadium Boulevard is essential for maintaining this regional corridor that carries over 25,000 automobiles everyday.  East and West Stadium Blvd. with their connections to Maple Rd and Washtenaw Avenue form a six-mile long major corridor connecting to US-23 on the east, M-14 on the north and I-94 on the west.  The University of Michigan’s Facility Operations is located immediately north of Stadium Boulevard and west of the bridges.  There are 1,700 University of Michigan permit parking spaces in the adjacent areas.  The UM Athletic Department facilities, most notably the football stadium and Crisler Arena, are also located adjacent to the deficient bridges.

Without the E. Stadium Bridges, the current E. Stadium Boulevard traffic could use the nearby residential streets and will impact the City’s signalized intersections within more than a mile. Other entities impacted by the possible closure of the bridges and the loss of the existing direct link between the east and the west sides of the City will be the Public Schools buses, Public Transportation (AATA) buses (22 buses each weekday and buses during football games), emergency vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, traffic traveling to Ann Arbor via I-94, and the adjacent cities and townships.  Although the City has not performed a detailed analysis, it is estimated that the indirect monetary cost of the "No-bridges" option at E. Stadium Boulevard and the necessary closure of S. State Street to be in millions of dollars in lost production, increased fuel cost and air pollution.  

City of Ann Arbor applies for Federal Funds