NEWS RELEASE
MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
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SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. and Ontario - The Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority (SSMBA) board of directors, the bi-national body that supervises operations of the International Bridge, heard reports on a recent bridge inspection at the board's regular meeting today.
The SSMBA board reviewed and officially accepted the results of the fracture critical member (FCM) inspection of the bridge. These inspections provide a closer look at bridge components that are critical to the structural integrity of the bridge. A team of bridge engineering experts from the lead firm of Hardesty and Hanover (H&H) of Okemos, Mich., along with their Canadian partner firm, WSP Canada Group Ltd. of Mississauga, Ontario, conducted the inspection of the bridge this summer and presented their findings at Thursday's meeting.
"The bridge's ongoing maintenance is outstanding, keeping all major elements of the structure in good to fair condition overall," said H&H engineer Mark Helinski. "Our inspection found no significant new issues or significant changes from previous years."
H&H noted some items, such as corrosion, pain loss and rocker link maintenance, to be addressed. The International Bridge Administration (IBA) staff has included this work in future scheduled maintenance.
"These results continue the International Bridge's excellent history of maintenance," said Karl Hansen, IBA bridge engineer. "Our dedicated staff is diligently protecting the public investment in the bridge. We've been able to prioritize and address any concerns found in these inspections in a timely way, either through monitoring, contracted repairs or in-house repairs."
The International Bridge is inspected every year, with the fracture critical inspection alternating with a routine inspection that looks at the entire bridge every other year. Additionally, the bridge's required five-year underwater inspection of 15 submerged piers in the St. Marys River began this year. Ten piers were inspected in June, while five Canadian-side piers will be inspected next spring. The inspected piers continue to be in fair condition, with no appreciable changes from prior inspections.
IBA maintenance staff wrapped up a busy and successful year, completing 86 per cent of the routine maintenance work items from the 2022 FCM report. Good weather in the fall also allowed them to address 74 percent of routine maintenance work items identified in the 2023 routine detailed inspection, setting staff up well to achieve their goals for 2024-2025.
In addition to routine maintenance work, IBA maintenance staff cleaned and coated about 440 feet of the green pedestrian rail on the U.S. approach. Staff also repaired a large section of delaminated concrete on a lower pier base. This complex project involved removing and replacing four cubic yards of concrete in an area under the bridge inaccessible to vehicle traffic. Staff descended more than 100 feet on movable scaffolding, removed the bad concrete and then pumped the new concrete down from the bridge deck.
The IBA’s maintenance staff also completed an unscheduled bridge deck project with assistance from Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) staff. An epoxy friction surface was applied to almost 45,000 square feet of deck surface in late July. The total project cost was $229,735, a savings of $137,265 over the estimate for similar work performed by a contractor.
In other business, the board elected officers for the coming year. The SSMBA board consists of up to eight members: four Michigan members appointed by the governor and four Canadian members appointed by The Federal Bridge Corporation Limited (FBCL), a crown corporation located in Ottawa, Ont.
Board member Natalie Kinloch of Apple Hill, Ont., was elected as the 2025 chair of the SSMBA board of directors. The other Canadian members are Karen Richards, Thye Lee and Rémi Paquette.
Linda Hoath of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, was elected vice chair for 2025. The other U.S. representatives are Nicholas White, Scott Shackleton and Thomas Buckingham Sr.
The board set its 2025 meeting dates for Feb. 20, May 22, Aug. 14 and Nov. 20.
For more information on the International Bridge, please visit www.saultbridge.com. Follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) at www.x.com/saultbridge.
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