WAYLAND TOWNSHIP, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – One lane of US-131 near Shelbyville in Allegan County was closed Tuesday evening for several hours as authorities tried to determine if an overpass was damaged.
The Michigan Department of Transportation investigated after deputies with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office were called to southbound US-131 around 5:30 p.m. because of a report of bales of hay that had fallen off a truck near the 124th Avenue overpass near Shelbyville.
All lanes reopened around 8:30 p.m, with no report of any compromises of the bridge’s structural integrity, and there were no reports of any injuries sustained by any motorists involved.
Last year, two separate incidents involving trucks striking the 146th Avenue bridge near Dorr led M-DOT to tear down the span over the southbound lanes for the winter, with plans to rebuild it later this year. Further north, the 100th Street bridge over US-131 was completely rebuilt six years ago after multiple strikes.
Engineers say that these incidents apparently all stem from the age of the freeway, which was built in the late 1950’s with bridges having clearances less than the modern standard of 15 feet.
-Gary Stevens of WHTC-AM/FM Holland contributed to this story
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